Florida A&M softball took a loss in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament’s Gainesville Regional.
But the Rattlers still have life.
After dropping the regional opener 12-0 to host and No. 6 national seed Florida, FAMU (32-21) will face the Texas State Bobcats (38-21) in an elimination game on Saturday, May 16. The first pitch is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium on the University of Florida’s Gainesville campus.
Texas State lost to Georgia Tech in a hard-fought 2-1 loss on Friday, May 15, setting the stage for its do-or-die matchup against the Rattlers. The ESPN family of networks will televise the game.
The winner of the Rattlers-Bobcats regional game will play again on Saturday at 3 p.m. for an elimination game against the winner of Florida and Georgia Tech, who meet that morning at 10 a.m.
FAMU looks to rebound from a 12-hit barrage from Florida, and just connecting for one hit by Amya Ramos.
FAMU will be up against the Sun Belt Pitcher of the Year, Maddy Azua. She pitched the entire seven innings against Georgia Tech and had an 86 pitch count.
But the Rattlers also boast their own talent, headlined by the Southwestern Athletic Conference Player of the Year and team hit leader Amari Brown, alongside the SWAC Tournament Most Valuable Player Samantha Smith.
Whichever two teams emerge from Saturday’s games will move on to the Gainesville Regional’s championship series. The regional title winner will then advance to the Super Regional with a Women’s College World Series appearance hanging in the balance.
Florida A&M vs Texas State ― NCAA Softball Tournament Gainesville Regional
Gerald Thomas, III, is a multi-time national award-winning reporter for his coverage of the Florida A&M Rattlers at the Tallahassee Democrat.
Follow his award-winning coverage on RattlerNews.com and contact him via email at GDThomas@Tallahassee.com or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU softball vs Texas State NCAA Gainesville Regional: TV, start time
Reporting by Gerald Thomas III, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
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