Paced by a 12 strikeout performance from Kelly Barnhill, the Florida Gators ended Alabama’s 2017 season with a 2-1 win on a sunny but sticky afternoon in Gainesville. Tide star Alexis Osorio gave up only three hits, and the Tide closed the gap to a single run, but ultimately could not overcome a two run first inning from the sunflower wearing Gators.
To be fair, the odds were stacked against the Crimson Tide from the start. As the #16 seed Alabama was matched up in the regional round with the top-ranked, but inexplicably unseeded, Minnesota Golden Gophers. After two heroic 1-0 wins over the Gophers in Tuscaloosa, the Tide was then faced with going on the road in the Super Regionals to face the favorite and #1 seed Florida Gators.