No. 17 Alabama Softball Coasts to 7-4 Win over No. 7 Florida

Audrey Vandagriff notched two hits in Alabama's seven-run first inning as the Crimson Tide wins the series opener in Gainesville over the Gators.

Alabama Softball Player Audrey Vandagriff (12) celebrates during the game against Florida at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Thursday, Apr 17, 2025. / Photo by Crimson Tide Photos / UA Athletics

Alabama softball continued the momentum from last weekend's series win over No. 2 Oklahoma with a 7-4 road win in the series opener against No. 7 Florida, in which the Crimson Tide scored all seven runs in the game's opening frame.

Freshman Audrey Vandagriff, fresh off her walk-off eighth-inning home run on Monday, hit a leadoff double and stole second. Kali Heivilin walked, and both scored off a fielding error by the Gators. Brooke Ellestad, who reached base on the error, scored minutes later off a Marlie Giles single.

2024 SEC Freshman of the Year and NFCA All-American Third Team selection Keagan Rothrock is one of the best pitchers in the country, and even though none of the three runs Alabama had scored to this point had been earned, she looked visibly shaken in the circle.

Alabama continued to pile on the runs with a Lauren Johnson double that scored Abby Duscherer, who was hit by a pitch earlier in the frame. Salen Hawkins was subsequently plunked, before Rothrock got Kristen White to ground out. With two outs, it looked like the Gators may get off the field without a complete calamity on their hands.

Audrey Vandagriff had other plans, ripping a bases-clearing double to left field to score Giles, Johnson, and Hawkins. Just like that, Alabama had its highest-scoring first inning of SEC play. Rothrock's afternoon was done. Just two of the runs she gave up were earned, and Olivia Miller recorded the final out without any more runs coming in, but a statement had been made.

Florida would score runs in the first and third innings, but Jocelyn Briski had a great game in the circle. She finally got into her first real jam in the fifth as Rylee Holtorf drove in a third Gator run and Florida had two runners on with one out. Patrick Murphy called in Catelyn Riley, who recorded consecutive outs to end the inning.

Alabama's bats went cold after the first inning, totalling just three baserunners throughout the rest of the game. It did not matter, as Florida went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the sixth before scoring one more consolation run off Riley in the seventh. The Gators tried to mount a two-out rally, and did get the tying runner to the plate after Riley hit Jocelyn Erickson, but Taylor Shumaker flew out to end the game and give the Crimson Tide the series opener.

Alabama is now just one win away from its second straight series win over a top-10 team. Even more impressive is the fact that the Crimson Tide is doing this on short rest, having wrapped up the Oklahoma series on Monday and this series starting a day early to ensure that the teams don't have to play on Easter. Alabama goes for the series win tomorrow at 5 p.m. CT on SEC Network.

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