GAINESVILLE, Fla. – In a marathon that lasted over six hours when factoring in a pair of rain delays that accounted for nearly four of those hours, Georgia Tech softball (38-17, 11-13 ACC) fell to No. 12 Florida (45-16, 13-11 SEC), 7-1, on day two of the Gainesville Regional on Saturday at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. The Yellow Jackets will take on the winner of Wisconsin and Canisius on Sunday at 10 a.m. for an opportunity to top Florida twice and advance to Super Regionals.
The top-seeded Gators got going early, knocking a two-RBI double in the bottom of the first to move in front. The first weather delay ensued in the top of the third with one out, resulting in a pause to the action that pushed three hours.
The second-seeded Jackets came out of the break firing, cutting the lead in half. Following a walk as play resumed, graduate first baseman Tricia Awald swatted an RBI double to the warning track, scoring senior second baseman Bailee Zeitler from second.
Florida returned the favor in the bottom half, knocking an RBI single to inch out to a 3-1 lead. The Gators tacked on two more in the following frame, initially crossing the plate thanks to a Tech miscue before an RBI single bolstered the lead to 5-1.
The game was delayed once more for inclement weather in the bottom of the fifth as the two sides waited just over an hour until resuming play. When the teams returned, Florida added a sacrifice fly and RBI single to cap the inning with a six-run lead, resulting in a 7-1 win for the home squad.
Softball vs. No. 12 Florida - Gainesville Regional Game 1
May 21, 2022
Game Notes
- Awald improved upon her program record in career doubles, knocking her 56th collegiate double.
- Junior hurler Blake Neleman got the start in the circle for the Jackets, making her 42nd appearance on the season to enter a three-way tie for the most appearances in a single season in Tech history.
- The official game duration was 2 hours and 23 minutes.
- Factoring in 3 hours and 56 minutes of dead time across two weather delays, the game lasted 6 hours and 19 minutes from start to finish.
Up Next
Georgia Tech awaits the winner of No. 3 seed Wisconsin and No. 4 seed Canisius, squaring off against the victor on Sunday at 10 a.m. The winner will advance, needing back-to-back victories over host and top seed Florida to advance to Super Regionals. The loser will be eliminated from the Regional.
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Georgia Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of developing Georgia Tech’s Everyday Champions and helping the Yellow Jackets compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes. To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.
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