Game one of the Women's College World Series didn't go according to plan for the Florida Gators. Keagan Rothrock gave Florida a chance in the circle, but the Gators managed just two hits and were defeated 3-0 by Texas.
Florida isn't out of it yet, but they have to win four in a row now in order to make it to the championship series. These are three reasons why Florida still has a chance to battle back in Oklahoma City.
Florida Gator hitters have too much firepower to stay dormant
The frustrating part for Florida is that they were making contact against Texas pitcher Teagan Kavan but just weren't able to find any gaps or holes in the Longhorn defense. Florida only struck out once over seven innings.
If Florida can hang around, pitchers in this tournament are going to start to get fatigued, and if Florida hitters can just make the slightest of adjustments, they still have a pathway to be the high-powered offense we've seen all season.
Florida has depth at pitching
Keagan Rothrock was burned on three solo home runs, but that was it. Since the start of the NCAA Tournament, Rothrock has looked like she is back in the same form she was in prior to her injury that kept her out for a month earlier this season.
However, the benefit for Florida is that they can go four pitchers deep if needed. As mentioned above, as this tournament progresses, it will become increasingly tough for teams that rely solely on one player to reach the finish line.
The bracket still gives Florida a chance
We noted prior to the start of the WCWS that the side of the bracket Florida was on was brutal compared to the other grouping of four. However, if Florida can find a way to overcome Tennessee, there is a pathway for the Gators to come all the way back.
The winner tonight will play the loser of UCLA vs. Texas Tech, and will get to play them off of a day's rest on Sunday.
If Florida is still dancing on Monday, they would play the winner of Texas vs. Oklahoma and would have to beat them twice. The Gators took two out of three games from Oklahoma this year and were in this same scenario last year in the WCWS when they came as close as anyone to slaying the dragon.