Florida softball vs. Georgia: WCWS bound! Gators defeat Bulldogs to clinch 13th trip to OKC

With one swing, Taylor Shumaker etched her name to the top of Florida softball leaderboards.

And…

She helped send the Gators to the place she dreamed of playing in as a child in California.

The Women’s College World Series.

Shumaker and the Orange and Blue clinched the program’s 13^th trip to Oklahoma City and the WCWS Sunday with a dramatic 5-2 win over Georgia at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.

The win moves coach Tim Walton’s record to 7-0 in Game 3s of Super Regionals. He's proud of that stat, but he wishes it didn't come to that.

"That's 21 games of extreme torture. It looks easy, sometimes, but shoot it's hard." Walton said. "We decided we play three games, so we can increase our revenue for postseason. Sold a lot of beer and concessions and made it interesting. Made everybody stay till the end."

However, he finally beat Georgia in supers. It was the school’s first victory over Georgia in super regionals. The Bulldogs previously swept the Gators in 2016 and 2021.

The game took two different forms — literally. Innings 1-4 looked like Florida’s loss to Georgia Saturday. The Gators generated offense and put runners on base, but each inning, they just couldn’t plate across a run. The lone run came in the first on an RBI single from Taylor Shumaker. However, UF left the bases loaded in that inning.

That started a trend as the Gators put the leadoff batter on in every inning. All in all, Florida stranded 10 runners in the first four innings.

Kendra Falby said the team wasn't trying to press too hard and keep the faith.

"We were just waiting for it to happen," Falby said.

Walton also attempted to not get discouraged. He saw Florida make good contact. Unfortunately, it just didn't lead to hits.

"We were hitting the ball good, so I wasn't really concerned about the runners left on base," Walton said. "I was more concerned with the wasted at bats when we popped up, popped up, popped up. That's not characteristic of us."

However, pitcher Keagan Rothrock slayed Georgia’s lineup and preserved UF’s slim lead. She allowed just two hits and no runs for the first six innings.

Walton credited Rothrock's resiliency, something she's shown all season. Saturday, she faced four batters and allowed two home runs. Last weekend, she gave up six runs to FAU and pitched a shutout the next day to Mercer.

Florida starting pitcher/relief pitcher Keagan Rothrock (7) pitches against Georgia during the third game of the NCAA super regionals softball game in Gainesville, FL on Sunday, May 25, 2025. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]

"Special, to do what she's able to do in that type of pressure," Walton said. "She handled it very well."

The coach said the only pitchers that, like Rothrock, get better the more they pitch is Stacey Nelson, Lauren Haeger and Hannah Rogers. All three are program legends. Rothrock, as the ace of back-to-back WCWS squads, is on her way there.

Rylee Holtorf said Rothrock wants the ball in those moments. It doesn't phase her.

"Last weekend, when she pitched in regionals, she had such a good outing that I was like 'Yeah, Keagan's back," Falby added. "I knew yesterday, that wasn't what we wanted, but Keegan, we've seen what she's done, so she's more than capable of doing it again, and then she did it today."

In the bottom of the fourth, the weather came in…

At 5:22 p.m., the game entered a weather delay that lasted 71 minutes. As rain poured down on KSP, UF’s offense had a chance to reset.

And boy did they reset. With two outs in the fifth, Rylee Holtorf gave Florida its two biggest runs of the season as she hit one just over the left field wall. This made it 3-0 Gators. Holtorf transferred from Washington this past offseason. She made one WCWS in Seattle in 2023, but she wanted more. Sunday, she accomplished her mission all on her own after hitting 1-12 for the weekend prior.

"We've talked all year about the pitch that matters now is most important," Holtorf said. "I was just trying to be on time, be above it. Keeping it simple."

Shumaker’s two-run homer two batters later provided the icing on the cake. Walton said he woke up to a text message Sunday morning noting that Shumaker was already hitting. The freshman went 0-4 in Saturday's game and walked in all four at-bats Friday.

"She's a worker and not a talker, so the more we can get work and more swings and just watch the ball flight, the better she gets," Walton said.

UGA made it a little bit of a battle in the seventh as Jaydyn Goodwin hit a two run homer of her own, but Rothrock tallied the final three outs, and the Gators are off to Oklahoma City.

For the six Gators seniors, they will leave the program in the best place to do so: OKC. For Falby and Reagan Walsh, it means even more. The lifelong Gators will leave with WCWS in three of their four years.

"They know how hard it is. They know how all the kind of the ups and downs see on the young people go through to be consistent in this kind of stage," Walton said.

Falby took it all in when the game ended.

"I think once I was running in from center field, I looked around me and I was like, 'Yeah, like, this is a really special place,"' Falby said. "I wouldn't want to go out this being my last ever home game any other way."

No. 3 seed Florida will begin play Thursday at Devon Park in Oklahoma City vs. sixth-seeded Texas. The Longhorns took two of three from No. 11 Clemson in the Austin Super Regional.

The game will begin at noon ET and will be broadcast on ESPN.

Here's how it happened:

Florida softball vs. Georgia in 2025 NCAA Gainesville Super Regional Game 3: Live score updates

Georgia scores two in the seventh

Bulldogs put runs on the board after a Holtorf error and a Jaydyn Goodwin home run. Gators still lead 5-2.

Rothrock looks to finish it off

Florida generated some offense in the sixth, but Falby grounds out with runners on first and third. This sends Rothrock back out to earn the last three outs to OKC.

Rothrock moves Florida three outs away from OKC

The sophomore allows her second hit of the game, but she gets through the rest of the inning unscathed. Florida will come to bat now in the bottom of the 6th, three outs or three runs away from a trip to the Women's College World Series.

Taylor Shumaker ties two program records with one swing

The roof has fully come off KSP as Falby hits an infield single, and Shumaker blasts one well over the right field wall. The home run is her 22nd of the season and RBIs 85 and 86. That ties Brittany Schutte in 2011 for the program record for HRs, and Jocelyn Erickson last season for RBIs. It extends the Gator lead to 5-0 as we enter the top of the sixth.

Rylee Holtorf magic at KSP!

The nine hitter for the Gators, Holtorf comes up and hits it just over the left field wall. It scores two and ends UF's streak of struggling with runners on base. Two massive insurance runs for Rothrock makes it 3-0 in the bottom of the fifth.

Huge double play ends Georgia threat

Rothrock walked her first batter of the game, but she gets out of it with a strikeout and a massive double play from Marisa Miller. This preserves UF's slim lead into the bottom of the fifth.

Gators hitting woes continue after delay

Florida looked ready to strike and add more after walks to Falby and Shumaker. But Walsh, Erickson and Otis (the heart of the Gators lineup) all popped out. UF leaves another two runners on base and is desperately clinging to a 1-0 lead over Georgia into the fifth.

Gators vs. Bulldogs resumes

Kendra Falby draws a four pitch walk to resume play at KSP. Shumaker up with no outs.

Florida will begin hitting in bottom four

Falby will lead off in the bottom of the fourth for the Gators.

Florida vs. Georgia will resume on ESPNU

The channel for the game will move from ESPN to ESPNU once play begins again at 6:30 p.m.

Game set to resume at 6:30 p.m.

The tarp is off the field and the rain has stopped. Game 3 between Florida and Georgia is set to resume at 6:30 p.m. after a delay of one hour and eight minutes.

Florida vs. Georgia enters a weather delay

Game 3 of the Gainesville Super Regional has entered a weather delay at 5:22 p.m. For a minimum of 30 minutes, this game has been put on pause, and the tarp is on the field.

Rothrock shuts down 'Dawgs again

The pitcher continues her groove and shuts down the 'Dawgs in order. 1-0 Florida into the bottom of the fourth.

Another productive inning leads to no runs

Florida's hitting woes with runners in scoring position continue as the Gators load the bases for Rylee Holtorf, who strikes out swinging. UF still leads UGA 1-0 after three, but a bit of nervous energy has fallen over KSP.

Georgia gets first hit, but no more

Mua Williams, in the nine hole, gets the Bulldogs first hit of the game. However, Rothrock strikes out Goodnight to end the inning. 1-0 UF leads UGA in the bottom of the third.

UF leaves another two on base

Kenleigh Cahalan leads off the second with a single. Shumaker's second hit of the day makes it first and second, but Walsh lines out to center to end the inning. 1-0 Florida leads Georgia after 2.

Georgia goes down 1-2-3 again

Bulldogs go down in order again. No strikeouts for Rothrock, but she hasn't allowed a runner to reach. 1-0 into B2.

Gators with hot start at the plate

A leadoff walk from Kendra Falby starts the trouble. She steals second and is driven home by Taylor Shumaker in her first hit and RBI of the weekend. Shumaker is now three RBIs away from setting the program record in a season (87).

Florida softball shuts down Georgia in first

Starting pitcher Keagan Rothrock falls behind 3-0 to leadoff hitter Dallis Goodnight. However, she forces a groundout and the next two outs. Florida up to bat with the score 0-0.

Florida softball vs. Georgia in 2025 NCAA Gainesville Super Regional Game 3: Starting lineups

Florida: CF Kendra Falby, RF Taylor Shumaker, C Jocelyn Erickson, 1B Reagan Walsh, LF Korbe Otis, DP Ava Brown, 2B Mia Williams, 3B Kenleigh Cahalan, SS Rylee Holtorf, SP Keagan Rothrock

Georgia: CF Dallas Goodnight, DP Lyndi Rae Davis, 2B Tyler Ellison, LF Jaydyn Goodwin, RF Sarah Gordon, SS Emily Digby, C Marisa Miller, 1B Emma Castorri, 3B Mua Williams

Florida softball vs. Georgia in 2025 NCAA Gainesville Super Regional Game 3: Start time

First pitch from Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium is set for 4 p.m. Sunday.

Florida softball vs. Georgia in 2025 NCAA Gainesville Super Regional Game 3: TV/Streaming

TV channel: ESPN

Time: 4 p.m. (ET)

Noah Ram covers Florida Gators athletics and Gainesville-area high school sports for The Gainesville Sun, GatorSports.com and the USA TODAY Network. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on X @Noah_ram1. Read his coverage of the Gators’ national championship basketball season in “CHOMP-IONS!” — a hardcover coffee-table collector’s book from The Sun. Details at Florida.ChampsBook.com

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Florida softball vs. Georgia: WCWS bound! Gators defeat Bulldogs to clinch 13th trip to OKC