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NCAA Tournament Bracket
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- In heartbreaking fashion, Georgia pinch hitter Kaylee Puailoa sent a two-run walk-off homer over the centerfield fence with two down in the bottom of the seventh to send the No. 16 seed Georgia Bulldogs (45-18) to their third WCWS. UGA defeated Florida 3-2 on Friday evening in front of a sellout crowd (2,041) at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
It looked as if No. 1 seed Florida (56-7), leading the Bulldogs 2-1 from the fifth inning on, would force a decisive game three before Puailoa's heroics halted the season for the Gators. Georgia won the first game of the series on Thursday, 3-0, and needed one of the two possible games on Friday to advance.
A solo home run in the bottom of the second for Georgia senior catcher Katie Browne put the first run of the game on the board for UGA, but Florida countered in the fifth to go up 2-1.
Florida sophomore
Aleshia Ocasio (22-2), who shouldered the loss in the circle for the Gators Friday, helped herself out offensively in the top of the fifth with a leadoff single through the right side, then moved to second on a groundout. Sophomore
Nicole DeWitt's single to center gave the Gators runners on the corners before senior
Aubree Munro was pegged in the first of back-to-back Chelsea Wilkinson hit-by-pitches to load the bases. Senior
Taylore Fuller pushed Florida's first run across the dish with the second UGA HBP. Next up, an RBI ground out by
Amanda Lorenz gave UF a 2-1 lead after five.
After their best offensive inning in Super Regional play, Florida's defense followed in suit in the bottom of the fifth with its third three up, three down frame of the game. A
Taylor Schwarz SportsCenter Top-10 worthy gem on a foul out over the first-base dugout net gave the Gators fire and momentum before Puailoa's stunner.
Wilkinson improved to 26-7 with the victory in the circle. Both pitchers in the SEC showdown gave up five hits and walked zero. Ocasio fanned three, Wilkinson just one.
Florida moved to 15-5 all-time in Super Regional play and 72-35 in NCAA Tournament Play.
2016 Team Season Highlights
- Florida's senior class of Taylore Fuller, Kirsti Merritt, Aubree Munro, Taylor Schwarz and Kelsey Stewart cap their careers as the second-winningest class in program history (229-35; .867)
- The Gators won the program's sixth SEC Championship this season
- Tim Walton became the 39th coach in collegiate history to win 700 games in his career. Walton will enter the 2017 season with 730 wins
- Florida's home crowd flourished in 2016, as 2,000+ fans took in a Gator softball game at KSP on seven different occasions
Postgame Quote
Head Coach Tim Walton:
"I think it's really too early to reflect on not only the players that graduated, but the people that graduated. As I think about how far each one of them has come and their success in being a Florida Gator, I'm just really proud of those girls. I'm going to miss them greatly."
"From today, from the beginning, our fans, field staff, administration, managers, trainers and everybody has just worked so hard. I'm really proud of them, and I'm really proud of how consistent they've all been and every one of them sacrificing so much. The best thing that I can tell you that came out of this season is the family atmosphere that we've created here. We define family as just unconditional love. I'm really proud of all the people that we have not only in our program, but that support our program. We just want to thank them."
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