Florida vs – A lightning-and-storm delay pushed the start of Game 2 between No. 6 Florida and No. 11 Texas Tech in their Gainesville super regional just over an hour at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium on Saturday, May 23. After Florida’s 10-8 loss in Game 1 on May 22, the G
Thunder rumbled around Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium on Saturday, May 23, and for the second straight game day in Gainesville, softball plans were forced to bend to the weather.
No. 6 Florida and No. 11 Texas Tech were originally set to play Game 2 of their best-of-three Gainesville super regional at 12:30 p.m. ET. Instead, inclement weather in the Gainesville, Florida area delayed the first pitch just over an hour, pushing action back until after 1:30 p.m. ET.
By 12:35 p.m. ET, Florida announced Game 2 still had a tentative start time of 1:35 p.m. ET. The expectation held through the next update, with Florida posting on X (formerly Twitter) that it remained on target for a 1:35 p.m. ET first pitch and releasing its starting lineup for the game.
Once the delay finally moved into the background, the matchup resumed with the game underway at 1:35 p.m. ET. The Gators and Red Raiders had been delayed just over an hour from their original start time.
Game 1 set the stakes. On Friday, May 22, Florida lost for the first time this postseason, falling 10-8 to Texas Tech. The deciding swing came in the seventh inning: former Gator Mia Williams hit a go-ahead two-run home run. Texas Tech’s ace. NiJaree Canady. then stranded Florida in the bottom half of the inning by throwing a scoreless frame. leaving the Gators on the brink of elimination.
Saturday’s result determines whether Florida stays alive. The Gators need a win to force, if necessary, Game 3 on Sunday. If Texas Tech wins on Saturday, it would secure a spot in the eight-team Women’s College World Series field in Oklahoma City—joining No. 7 Tennessee, which has already clinched.
Florida’s season momentum had been clean going into Friday. The Gators swept the Gainesville Regional and allowed just two runs across their three games in that NCAA Softball Tournament stretch. They also had not surrendered at least 10 runs since May 1 against Georgia.
The delay is rooted in NCAA safety rules for storms and lightning. The NCAA rules state that once lightning is detected in the area and the game goes into a lightning delay. it is either delayed or suspended for 30 minutes. That 30-minute clock resets for every lightning strike within a six-mile radius after the initial strike. which can stretch delays for hours.
The NCAA uses the “flash-to-bang” method—officials count the seconds until thunder is heard and divide by five to estimate how far the lightning is in miles. Lightning safety experts. according to the NCAA. recommend waiting 30 minutes after both the last sound of thunder and the last flash of lightning that is at least six miles away. and moving away from the venue. If lightning is seen but thunder is not heard. the lightning may be out of range and therefore less likely to be a significant threat.
With ABC scheduled to broadcast Game 2 from Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium on Saturday, viewers had streaming options through the ESPN app (with a TV login) and Fubo, which carries the ESPN family of networks and offers a free trial to new subscribers.
Florida softball Texas Tech softball Gainesville super regional Women’s College World Series Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium NiJaree Canady Mia Williams NCAA lightning delay ESPN ABC