Florida softball falls to Virginia Tech in Super Regional opener, faces elimination from NCAA Tournament

No. 14 seed Florida softball dropped its Super Regional opener to No. 3 seed Virginia Tech 6-0.

Hosting the first-ever Blacksburg Super Regional, the Hokies got off to a hot start, scoring in the first 4 innings to post a 6-0 lead. Mother Nature then got in the way. The game that started Friday afternoon (2 p.m. ET) was postponed, resuming in the top of the 5th inning at 10 a.m. ET Saturday.

The break in the action did not shift the momentum. Virginia Tech threatened to end the game via run rule in the bottom of the 5th, but Florida turned an inning-ending double play to keep it 6-0. The Gator bats, however, remained cold as UF was unable to cut into the 6-run deficit.

Florida was just 4-of-24 at the plate, while VT notched 11 hits in 27 at-bats. Keely Rochard went all 7 innings for Virginia Tech, picking up the win. Florida starter Elizabeth Hightower was the losing pitcher, allowing 4 earned runs over 2 innings before leaving the game. Emma Ritter had 2 solo home runs for Virginia Tech, while leadoff hitter Cameron Fagan led in RBIs (3), going 1-for-4 with a 3-run home run.

UF now faces elimination. Game 2 of the best-of-3 series is scheduled for noon ET Saturday. To get to the Women’s College World Series, the Gators need to win both remaining games, while the Hokies only need one more victory.

Looking to bounce back in game two at Noon on ESPN #GoGators

Presented by @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/z4JdNDPE9C

— Gators Softball (@GatorsSB) May 28, 2022

Andrew Olson

Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.