A slugfest is unfamiliar territory for the 2026 Florida softball team. Throughout its first nine games, the pitching staff had a combined .80 ERA and had only given up 13 runs.
That all changed in Saturday’s matinee.
Five different Gators recorded home runs in the contest. Most notably, redshirt freshman Townsen Thomas launched her first home run in a Gator uniform in the bottom of the third.
Sophomore Taylor Shumaker had her best game from the plate so far in 2026. The right fielder went 4-4 and had two doubles in the contest.
Behind the five longballs, No. 4 Florida cruised to a 14-6 run-rule victory over Florida International at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. Florida moves to 10-0 for the second straight season following the win.
Florida used a total of four pitchers in the victory, but junior Olivia Miller’s performance stood out among all the Florida pitchers. The Orlando, Florida, native went 2.2 innings and allowed one hit. She recorded her second straight win in the circle.
Out of the gate, the Panthers’ offense made its mark. In the top of the first, two early hits left them with runners on second and third with two outs. Senior first baseman Janelle Martinez lined a single up the middle to give FIU a 2-0 lead.
Facing an early deficit for the second straight game, the Gators’ offense responded quickly. Shumaker led the Gators off with a double. An error from FIU shortstop Zamya McBurrows allowed Shumaker to score, making the game 2-1.
Perhaps the Gators most dangerous threat with runners on base is junior Ava Brown, and she delivered. Brown launched an opposite-field home run to give Florida a 4-2 lead. The two-way threat recorded her third dinger of the season.
Florida’s lead evaporated shortly after when the Panthers scored three runs in the top of the second, courtesy of two hits off Oxley and a throwing error by the shortstop, Kenleigh Cahalan, had the Panthers in front 5-4.
In the third, FIU regained the lead 6-5, but from then on it was all Florida. The Gators scored seven unanswered runs for the rest of the ballgame.
Florida concludes Day Two of Florida Classic play against Marshall at 4:30 p.m. at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
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Contact Zach Moore at zmoore@alligator.org. Follow him on X @zach_moore27.
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Zach is a sophomore sports journalism student in his first semester at The Alligator, covering softball. He also has experience as an intern in the Florida Collegiate Summer League. Zach enjoys watching sports in his free time, primarily the Minnesota Vikings, Orlando Magic, and Arsenal FC.