Erickson, Rothrock lead Florida past Texas Tech, force decisive Game 3
GAINESVILLE - Florida slugger Jocelyn Erickson emerged from a power-hitting slump to keep alive the Gators' season and her college career, while forcing a Super Regionals showdown Sunday against Texas Tech for a berth in the Women's College World Series.
Following an hour-long rain delay, the Gators’ senior jumped on the first pitch from Red Raiders’ All-American ace NiJaree Canady as the Gators (52-11) grabbed a 2-0 lead on the way to a decisive 10-2 victory Saturday to even the best-of-three series.
“We were probably only like five minutes into the game at that point and Jocelyn doing that really does set the tone for the game,” first baseman Madison Walker said. “You see Jocelyn do that, and you’re like, OK, I want to do that.”
A day after Florida came back from 7-1 down only to lose 10-8, Texas Tech (56-7) could not match the Gators' offense and mount a comeback against pitcher Keagan Rothrock (30-6). On Friday, Rothrock lasted only four innings in 90-degree temperatures, coach Tim Walton said, and needed two rounds of intravenous fluids - and other treatments - to be ready for Saturday.
“Keegan Rothrock puts as much time into her craft as anybody,” Walton said. “She passed a special milestone, getting to 30 wins. Really proud of the way she takes a lot of pride.”
Meanwhile, Canaday (25-6) struggled after leading her team to the WCWS championship series in 2025 as the Red Raiders allowed 14 hits, including two home runs and two doubles.
Before a national TV audience on ABC and a raucous home crowd at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium, Erickson led Florida with a 3-for-5 performance highlighted by her 21st home run of the season - her first in six games and just her second since April 11 at South Carolina.
“When she gets it right, it’s got a different sound,” Walton said. “It was awesome to hear.”
The All-American catcher also added a RBI single in the third inning after a double by sophomore star Taylor Shumaker, whose 80th run scored tied the school's single-season record and gave Florida a 3-0 advantage.
Texas Tech finally broke through with a run in the third inning, but the Gators answered with two more when first baseman Walker launched a two-run homer with two out, ending Canady's day after another difficult outing in the circle.
Even after earning the Game 1 victory in relief, Canady has surrendered six runs over 5.2 innings in the series for an 8.07 ERA.
The Red Raiders threatened to climb back into the game after trimming the deficit to 5-2 in the fourth inning and loading the bases. But in only her second start in right field this season, Ella Wesolowski tracked down Jasmyn Burns' deep fly ball at the warning track to end the rally.
“Just anything that the team needs, I’m going to do it,” Wesolowski said. “It was really awesome to make that play for them.”
Florida then responded with four runs against sophomore reliever Samantha Lincoln, highlighted by a two-run single from shortstop Kenleigh Cahalan with two out. The Gators scored six of their runs Saturday and 14 of 18 runs during the Super Regionals overall with two out.
“We just all go up there and there’s no doubt about us getting on or us scoring runs,” right fielder Ella Wesolowski said. “It’s just finding a way to get the job done. Just because there’s two outs doesn’t mean the inning’s over.”
Erickson later popped up with the bases loaded, but Texas Tech managed just one hit the rest of the way as Rothrock went the distance to set up Sunday's decisive Game 3 in the marquee Super Regional matchup.
Florida has prevailed during winner-take-all games the past two seasons to reach the WCWS.
After Walton called his team’s Friday performance “terrible,” the veteran coach had a different message for his players heading into another Game 3.
“You can wake up tomorrow morning and have one game to go play in the College World Series, that’s what you guys dream of - and it’s not a dream,” he recalled. “This is what it is. The best team is going to win.
“It’s just going to take everybody. One person’s not going to do it. It’s going to take everybody to really work hard and pull together and be confident and just trust your skills.”
Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com
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This story was originally published May 23, 2026 at 4:51 PM.