OKLAHOMA CITY — Florida softball’s season came to a screeching and stunning end Friday night, May 30, to Tennessee in the Women’s College World Series.
In an elimination game for both teams, the Gators fell behind to the Volunteers 7-0 after the first inning. Coach Tim Walton gave the ball to Kara Hammock — a shakeup considering sophomore ace Keagan Rothrock had started the last six postseason games and every time since the first game of the Gainesville Regional.
Hammock, a UNC-Wilmington transfer, had never pitched in the WCWS before and only logged 15 2/3 innings vs. SEC competition in 2025.
Against the Lady Vols, Hammock saw four batters and tossed just nine pitches before being chased from the circle. In that span, Tennessee tallied four hits and four runs — all without before the Gators could issue their first out of the game.
Following the season-ending loss, Walton was asked what went into his decision to switch things up and start Hammock. He said Rothrock suffered a blister in her hand during the Super Regional vs. Georgia. The sophomore persevered and pitched complete games Sunday in the clinching win over the Bulldogs and Thursday vs. Texas in the WCWS.
“We’ve been fighting a blister with Keagan for a while,” Walton said. “It came apart, actually, on Saturday against Georgia in the game. So we’ve been fighting that for a bit.”
The goal, he said, was to get Hammock through the lineup once, similar to Game 2 of the series vs. Oklahoma in early May, which she started.
“Kara was going to go one time through. The whole goal, same thing we had against Oklahoma, get nine outs and then bridge the gap. Maybe let Keagan throw at the end.”
However, Walton said didn’t want to push it with Rothrock, adding the strategy might have been different if the Gators were in the winners bracket.
“Ultimately, (Rothrock) could’ve pitched today and she could’ve been good or not good, we don’t know what that would’ve been. But we’ve got a long road to go and you blow her out in the first inning of this game and then what?
“I know we’re done now, but the decision was really to just try to go as much as we can with everyone else, given the circumstances.”
Sophomore Ava Brown was ultimately the one called to relieve Hammock and inherited a bases-loaded jam. She went on to allow five hits and five earned runs in a 1 2/3-inning outing.
Freshman pitcher Katelynn Oxley polished off the Gators’ bullpen’s rough outing with a 2 1/3-inning performance that saw her give up three hits and two earned runs.
By game’s end, the Lady Vols had scattered 12 hits against Florida’s arms.
Noah Ram covers Florida Gators athletics and Gainesville-area high school sports for The Gainesville Sun, GatorSports.com and the USA TODAY Network. Contact him at nram@gannett.com. Follow him on X @Noah_ram1. Read his coverage of the Gators’ national championship basketball season in “CHOMP-IONS!” — a hardcover coffee-table collector’s book from The Sun. Details at Florida.ChampsBook.co
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: What Florida softball’s Tim Walton said about pitching decision vs Tennessee in WCWS
Reporting by Noah Ram, Gainesville Sun / The Gainesville Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
