There is no lack of upsets each week in college softball, but none was more shocking than when the No. 1 team in the country fell to an unranked, winless squad on Saturday.

At the Aquafina Invitational in Gainesville, Florida, the previously 0-8 Maryland Terrapins beat the dominant, undefeated Florida Gators 4-2 on UF's home field.

How did a Florida team that allowed a grand total of seven runs in its first eight games suddenly give up a four-spot to Maryland? And how did the Terrapins lose to Florida A&M and then beat UF in their next tournament game?

Maybe there's something about how this tournament was scheduled.

Florida Too Cocky vs. Maryland?

Picture this. It's Saturday at 9 AM, and Maryland had just stumbled to a 5-1 loss to Florida A&M in its first game at the invitational.

Then, the Terrapins had to turn around and face the host team, Florida, at 11:30 AM.

Meanwhile, the Gators had been hanging out for most of the morning. They easily beat Northwestern State on Friday night and then watched Maryland struggle to score against Florida A&M on Saturday.

You're No. 1 in the country. You're 8-0. You're fresh, and you're on your home field. You're about to face a team that hasn't won a game all season.

And then human nature takes over.

Maryland Singles Its Way To Victory

It looked like a typical Florida softball game. The Gators jumped out to a 2-0 lead against the Terrapins in the first inning. And, with UF's Delanie Gourley in the circle, Maryland would be lucky to score a run in the game.




But the top of the fourth inning changed everything. The Terrapins singled four times and added a double to put three runs on the board.

After falling behind 3-2, the Gators squandered their chance to respond by going down in order, and Maryland suddenly had confidence.

The Terrapins showed no signs of slowing down in the fifth inning, adding another run on three singles.

Now, it's Maryland 4, Florida 2. What is going on here? Sensing the game was slipping away, the Gators loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth, but they could not push across a run despite multiple opportunities. Then, in the bottom of the seventh, Florida put more baserunners on but once again failed to break through.

[tweet url="https://twitter.com/TerpsSoftball/status/833047094604738562?DB_OEM_ID=29700" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]

On Cruise Control

It's human nature to relax when you think something is easy. And, by definition, Florida should have easily beaten Maryland on its home field.

But, the Terrapins just wanted to win more than the hosts on Saturday morning. They were tired of losing, embarrassed by the first loss of the day, and locked in on the task at hand. Plus, their rallies were a testament to team softball -- consecutive singles kept the line moving.

"This was an incredible team win," said Maryland head coach Julie Wright. "Florida is a very good program with a great history and talented coaching staff. To put together the game we did against them means a lot. We did the little things well and just played Maryland softball."

There is no other way to explain what happened this past weekend in Gainesville. After finding a few holes, Maryland singled Florida into submission, and the Gators were too stunned to respond.

We might not see another result like this all season. But, we will certainly remember what the Terrapins softball team accomplished for the rest of the year.


By James Caldwell
Follow James on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn

Watch Florida take on UCLA, Cal, Iowa, and Northwestern at the Judi Garman Classic LIVE on FloSoftball