Florida softball heading to WCWS after beating Baylor in Super Regionals

It took the full three games but Florida’s softball team is heading to the Women’s College World Series for the 12th time in program history and first since the 2022 season after defeating the Baylor Bears in the Gainesville Super Regionals on Sunday, 5-3.

Keagan Rothrock pitched her second-straight complete game while Mia Williams hit an early two-run homer to help the Gators fight off a pesky Baylor team that reached the semifinals as an at-large bid.

Florida jumped out to an early lead in this one, scoring a trio of runs in the bottom of the first inning; the two teams then matched one-run efforts in the next frame while putting up goose eggs in the third and fourth innings. Baylor threatened with a run in the top of the fifth, but Florida answered in the bottom sixth and ultimately closed the door.

The Orange and Blue improved to 25-12 in NCAA Super Regional play and 6-1 in Super Regional Game 3s. Looking ahead to the championships, UF holds an overall record of 27-20 (.574) in Oklahoma City and will be looking for its third national title.

Florida will face fifth-seeded Oklahoma State in the WCWS opener on Thursday, May 30, with the start time still to be determined. The Cowgirls defeated the Gators 3-0 in a regular-season meeting on Feb. 19 in Gainesville.

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