Gators, Seminoles reach Super Regionals with decisive victories

UF faced its first postseason setback, but the Gators rallied to join Florida State in winning their respective NCAA Regionals Sunday.

Florida and Florida State will host Super Regionals, battling for the right to play in the Women’s College World Series for a national title.

UF’s Nicole DeWitt raised her hands almost as soon as the ball left her bat. As the ball carried deep over the right field fence, it took any chance Oklahoma State had of advancing to a Super Regional with it.

DeWitt’s two-run home run in the first inning gave UF the juice it needed to overcome the sloppy hitting Florida endured earlier Sunday.

“I just got ahold of a pitch,” said DeWitt, who recorded her sixth home run of the season and bumped up her batting average to .331. “It just happened to go over the fence.”

After dropping the first game of Sunday’s Gainesville Regional final against Oklahoma State (38-25), the No. 1 overall seed Gators (53-7) took down the Cowgirls 5-0 at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium in a winner-take-all finale to advance to the Super Regional round for the fifth consecutive year.

Sunday afternoon was a tale of two pitchers for Florida.

Despite a solid performance by starting pitcher Kelly Barnhill, the Gators were shut out for the third time this season during a 1-0 loss to OSU in the first game Sunday. Barnhill pitched a tight game, totaling 13 strikeouts to one walk.

However, an RBI double by Vanessa Shippy gave Oklahoma State the lead in the sixth inning — a lead the Cowgirls never relinquished, forcing an elimination game.

With the Gators’ season on the line, senior pitcher Delanie Gourley delivered a big performance.

Gourley tossed a one-hitter in UF’s shutout, throwing 11 strikeouts to one walk and striking out six consecutive batters to begin the final game. Her lone hit, a ground ball by OSU’s Hayleigh Galvan, came off a base hit following an error by third baseman Jaimie Hoover in the fifth.

“We were gonna beat that team that was in the other dugout,” said Gourley, who got the start in the circle in the second game. “If it took the first loss to get that fire in us, it did, and it’s gonna stay within us for the rest of the postseason.”

Seminoles advance

The Florida State softball team left little doubt who the best team in the Tallahassee Regional of the NCAA Tournament was on Sunday, taking down the Georgia Bulldogs 8-5 in the regional final to complete the weekend sweep.

The Seminoles (54-6-1) got an early spark from third baseman Jessie Warren, whose two-run homer, gave FSU a 2-0 lead over the Bulldogs (35-23) before an out was even recorded in the first inning.

“I think just coming out and getting my swing off sets the tone for the team,” Warren said. “It gives us energy and relaxes [FSU pitcher] Meghan [King] out there in the field.”

King was called upon for the second consecutive day to get the start for FSU. She was not quite as sharp this time against Georgia after holding the Bulldogs to one unearned run on Saturday. King allowed five earned runs on 10 hits, striking out six and walking one during 6.1 innings.

UGA third baseman Alyssa DiCarlo had an especially productive day at the plate, going 3-for-4 with four RBI, including a solo homer to center in the fifth inning.