Brendan Lawson (3-for-5) raced home on a wild pitch for a walk-off, 7-6 victory.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – No. 8 Florida smacked a season-high 14 hits before utilizing a walk-off wild pitch in the ninth to down North Florida, 7-6, in a wild affair at Condron Family Ballpark on Wednesday night.
Despite the Gators (9-0) setting a season high in hits and all nine starters barreling base knocks, Florida found itself battling until the final pitch due to a four-spot from the Ospreys (6-3) that tied the ballgame in the ninth inning. Brendan Lawson (3-for-5) ultimately touched home for the game's winning run, putting the finishing touches on his first-career three-hit day.
Brody Donay (1-for-3) launched his fifth home run of the campaign while Bobby Boser (2-for-5) and Cade Kurland (3-for-5) also collected multiple hits and scored runs. On the mound, seven different Florida arms saw action led by freshman Niko Janssens, who contributed 2 1/3 shutout innings of relief on two hits, zero walks and four strikeouts in his collegiate debut.
The Gators got a zero from starter Jackson Barberi in the first, as Donay threw out Carter White with a seed to second base for the final out. Leadoff man Hayden Yost laced a double to start the bottom half for the Orange & Blue, then came home on an RBI single through the left side by Colby Shelton to open a 1-0 lead.
The Ospreys threatened in the second, beginning with a leadoff single to left by Jabin Bates who, advanced to second on a Cade Bush walk. Barberi buckled down to fan the next two batters to complete two scoreless frames.
Barberi was lifted with one out in the third, as Janssens assumed the mound in Orange & Blue for the very first time. The rookie induced a groundout to first and struck out Connor Moore to strand the tying run on third base.
Janssens worked another clean inning in the fourth to make it five up and five down in his first taste of action. Lawson and Kurland responded by smacking back-to-back one-out singles in the home half. Landon Stripling then drove in Lawson with a single through the left side while Blake Cyr singled to second base, with Kurland scoring from second due to an errant throw from White.
With the Gators leading 3-0, North Florida loaded up the bases with two outs in the fifth. In his own collegiate debut, rookie lefty McCall Biemiller forced Moore to fly out to right field to strand a trio of runners and maintain the three-run advantage.
Biemiller registered his first-career strikeout in the top of the sixth and then was relieved by right-hander Christian Rodriguez with two men down and a man on first. Rodriguez notched a strikeout of Brady Browning to strand the runner.
North Florida broke up the shutout in the seventh to cut the lead to 3-2. White produced a sacrifice fly to deep right field to plate Drew Leinenbach followed by an RBI single to right-center from Bates to score Nick Monile.
The Gators answered with a three-spot in the home half of the seventh, as the Gators were gifted their fourth run on a series of UNF defensive miscues. After Shelton reached on a throwing error at third base, Donay mashed his fifth run of the season to give the Gators a 6-2 lead.
UF right-hander Matthew Jenkins threw a one-two-three inning in the eighth, but the Gators ran into trouble in the ninth. With the Gators attempting to close the game out, the Ospreys loaded up the bases with nobody out. A hit by pitch of Bates forced home Monile for the first run, then Seth Alford split the right-center gap with a bases-clearing double to tie the game at 6-6.
Suddenly in search of a walk-off winner, Florida got a one-out boost in the bottom of the ninth as Lawson laced a single to right-center for his third hit. Kurland then doubled down the left-field line to put two men in scoring position, prompting the Ospreys to intentionally walk Landon Stripling to load the bases. On a 2-2 count to Cyr, a wild pitch skirted past Bates to the backstop and Lawson raced home for the game-winning run in a 7-6 walk-off victory.
UF reliever Caden McDonald (1-0) earned the first win of his career after recording all three outs in the ninth. The redshirt freshman was charged with one earned run on one hit while striking out one batter.
Ospreys reliever Kaden Humphrey dropped to 0-1. He was charged with one run allowed on three hits and one walk while fanning two in 1 2/3 frames.
Barberi did not factor into the decision in his starting debut. The freshman completed 2 1/3 scoreless frames with one hit allowed, three walks and three strikeouts.
UNF starting hurler Clay Hendry was also handed a no-decision, pitching two innings of one-run ball. He surrendered two hits and struck out three.
NOTABLES
* Florida's nine-game winning streak is the team's longest since winning nine in a row from March 5-17, 2023.
* The Gators' 9-0 start is the team's best since the 2020 campaign (16-0).
* Florida produced a season-high 14 hits on Wednesday.
* The Gators have knocked at least nine hits in all nine games and 10-plus in eight of nine.
* Barberi made his first-career start and logged 2 1/3 scoreless innings.
* Janssens and Biemiller made their collegiate pitching debuts and combined for 3 1/3 shutout innings of relief.
* McDonald earned his first-career win.
* All nine Florida starters collected a hit.
* Shelton has a nine-game hitting streak to open the season.
* Shelton's hitting streak stretches 11 games dating back to last season.
* Donay swatted his team-leading fifth homer of the season in the seventh.
* Kurland registered his first three-hit game of the campaign.
* Florida pitchers have produced a 117-to-22 strikeout-to-walk ratio through nine games.
* Six of the seven UF pitchers tonight recorded strikeouts.
* Since the start of the season, 31 of 32 UF pitching appearances have featured at least one strikeout.
* Florida is now 22-7 all-time against UNF, including 17-4 at home.
* The Gators are 22-5 overall and 17-3 in Gainesville in the series under Head Coach Kevin O'Sullivan.
* Florida has won nine in a row and 16 of the last 17 against the Ospreys.
* Wednesday night's official attendance was 5,086.
FROM HEAD COACH KEVIN O'SULLIVAN
On the outcome of tonight's game…
"…Overall, I was pleased. I knew it was going to be a difficult game because you're trying to get guys out there for their first experience and you really don't know how it's going to go, so once they have a little success you don't, hopefully, want to leave them in there too long. Then offensively, we changed up the lineup again. I think every starter got a hit. Games like this are important to go through. You got a lead there in the ninth and gave up four. So they tie the game, but we've got to make some pitches there to keep the game where it's at. Then we get the first out there in the bottom of the ninth and then freshman Brendan Lawson comes up with a really big at bat. And then Cade gets the couple down the left-field line with two strikes and then obviously we won on the wild pitch. So, it's one of those things you can't practice or simulate in practice, so we have to go through it. There's a lot of positives to the game tonight."
On Kurland's strong offensive week…
"Yeah, he's had a really good week. He's had a really good week and that last at bat was a really good at bat. To get down to two strikes and hit that double, he hit it hard down the left-field line, kind of got us going. And I thought Stripling had really good at bats tonight again, he hit the ball hard at least twice. I thought overall it was a good game. It didn't go quite the way we wanted to in the ninth, but it's alright. It's a learning experience for everyone."
On the upcoming test against Miami…
"I think it was important for us not to throw [Alex] Philpott because he threw 35 pitches last night. Luke McNeillie, we wanted to give some rest to and I think there's somebody else in there that was off the card tonight. I mean, it's always a great series. They got three really outstanding starters. I think they beat Florida Gulf Coast tonight. I think they scored 14 runs, at least someone was just telling me. It's always a competitive series and we'll see how it goes. Another challenge for us."
UP NEXT
The Gators host in-state rival Miami in a three-game series this upcoming weekend from Feb. 28-March 2. The opener is set for Friday night at 6:30 p.m. on SEC Network+.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – No. 8 Florida smacked a season-high 14 hits before utilizing a walk-off wild pitch in the ninth to down North Florida, 7-6, in a wild affair at Condron Family Ballpark on Wednesday night.
Despite the Gators (9-0) setting a season high in hits and all nine starters barreling base knocks, Florida found itself battling until the final pitch due to a four-spot from the Ospreys (6-3) that tied the ballgame in the ninth inning. Brendan Lawson (3-for-5) ultimately touched home for the game's winning run, putting the finishing touches on his first-career three-hit day.
Brody Donay (1-for-3) launched his fifth home run of the campaign while Bobby Boser (2-for-5) and Cade Kurland (3-for-5) also collected multiple hits and scored runs. On the mound, seven different Florida arms saw action led by freshman Niko Janssens, who contributed 2 1/3 shutout innings of relief on two hits, zero walks and four strikeouts in his collegiate debut.
The Gators got a zero from starter Jackson Barberi in the first, as Donay threw out Carter White with a seed to second base for the final out. Leadoff man Hayden Yost laced a double to start the bottom half for the Orange & Blue, then came home on an RBI single through the left side by Colby Shelton to open a 1-0 lead.
The Ospreys threatened in the second, beginning with a leadoff single to left by Jabin Bates who, advanced to second on a Cade Bush walk. Barberi buckled down to fan the next two batters to complete two scoreless frames.
Barberi was lifted with one out in the third, as Janssens assumed the mound in Orange & Blue for the very first time. The rookie induced a groundout to first and struck out Connor Moore to strand the tying run on third base.
Janssens worked another clean inning in the fourth to make it five up and five down in his first taste of action. Lawson and Kurland responded by smacking back-to-back one-out singles in the home half. Landon Stripling then drove in Lawson with a single through the left side while Blake Cyr singled to second base, with Kurland scoring from second due to an errant throw from White.
With the Gators leading 3-0, North Florida loaded up the bases with two outs in the fifth. In his own collegiate debut, rookie lefty McCall Biemiller forced Moore to fly out to right field to strand a trio of runners and maintain the three-run advantage.
Biemiller registered his first-career strikeout in the top of the sixth and then was relieved by right-hander Christian Rodriguez with two men down and a man on first. Rodriguez notched a strikeout of Brady Browning to strand the runner.
North Florida broke up the shutout in the seventh to cut the lead to 3-2. White produced a sacrifice fly to deep right field to plate Drew Leinenbach followed by an RBI single to right-center from Bates to score Nick Monile.
The Gators answered with a three-spot in the home half of the seventh, as the Gators were gifted their fourth run on a series of UNF defensive miscues. After Shelton reached on a throwing error at third base, Donay mashed his fifth run of the season to give the Gators a 6-2 lead.
UF right-hander Matthew Jenkins threw a one-two-three inning in the eighth, but the Gators ran into trouble in the ninth. With the Gators attempting to close the game out, the Ospreys loaded up the bases with nobody out. A hit by pitch of Bates forced home Monile for the first run, then Seth Alford split the right-center gap with a bases-clearing double to tie the game at 6-6.
Suddenly in search of a walk-off winner, Florida got a one-out boost in the bottom of the ninth as Lawson laced a single to right-center for his third hit. Kurland then doubled down the left-field line to put two men in scoring position, prompting the Ospreys to intentionally walk Landon Stripling to load the bases. On a 2-2 count to Cyr, a wild pitch skirted past Bates to the backstop and Lawson raced home for the game-winning run in a 7-6 walk-off victory.
UF reliever Caden McDonald (1-0) earned the first win of his career after recording all three outs in the ninth. The redshirt freshman was charged with one earned run on one hit while striking out one batter.
Ospreys reliever Kaden Humphrey dropped to 0-1. He was charged with one run allowed on three hits and one walk while fanning two in 1 2/3 frames.
Barberi did not factor into the decision in his starting debut. The freshman completed 2 1/3 scoreless frames with one hit allowed, three walks and three strikeouts.
UNF starting hurler Clay Hendry was also handed a no-decision, pitching two innings of one-run ball. He surrendered two hits and struck out three.
NOTABLES
* Florida's nine-game winning streak is the team's longest since winning nine in a row from March 5-17, 2023.
* The Gators' 9-0 start is the team's best since the 2020 campaign (16-0).
* Florida produced a season-high 14 hits on Wednesday.
* The Gators have knocked at least nine hits in all nine games and 10-plus in eight of nine.
* Barberi made his first-career start and logged 2 1/3 scoreless innings.
* Janssens and Biemiller made their collegiate pitching debuts and combined for 3 1/3 shutout innings of relief.
* McDonald earned his first-career win.
* All nine Florida starters collected a hit.
* Shelton has a nine-game hitting streak to open the season.
* Shelton's hitting streak stretches 11 games dating back to last season.
* Donay swatted his team-leading fifth homer of the season in the seventh.
* Kurland registered his first three-hit game of the campaign.
* Florida pitchers have produced a 117-to-22 strikeout-to-walk ratio through nine games.
* Six of the seven UF pitchers tonight recorded strikeouts.
* Since the start of the season, 31 of 32 UF pitching appearances have featured at least one strikeout.
* Florida is now 22-7 all-time against UNF, including 17-4 at home.
* The Gators are 22-5 overall and 17-3 in Gainesville in the series under Head Coach Kevin O'Sullivan.
* Florida has won nine in a row and 16 of the last 17 against the Ospreys.
* Wednesday night's official attendance was 5,086.
FROM HEAD COACH KEVIN O'SULLIVAN
On the outcome of tonight's game…
"…Overall, I was pleased. I knew it was going to be a difficult game because you're trying to get guys out there for their first experience and you really don't know how it's going to go, so once they have a little success you don't, hopefully, want to leave them in there too long. Then offensively, we changed up the lineup again. I think every starter got a hit. Games like this are important to go through. You got a lead there in the ninth and gave up four. So they tie the game, but we've got to make some pitches there to keep the game where it's at. Then we get the first out there in the bottom of the ninth and then freshman Brendan Lawson comes up with a really big at bat. And then Cade gets the couple down the left-field line with two strikes and then obviously we won on the wild pitch. So, it's one of those things you can't practice or simulate in practice, so we have to go through it. There's a lot of positives to the game tonight."
On Kurland's strong offensive week…
"Yeah, he's had a really good week. He's had a really good week and that last at bat was a really good at bat. To get down to two strikes and hit that double, he hit it hard down the left-field line, kind of got us going. And I thought Stripling had really good at bats tonight again, he hit the ball hard at least twice. I thought overall it was a good game. It didn't go quite the way we wanted to in the ninth, but it's alright. It's a learning experience for everyone."
On the upcoming test against Miami…
"I think it was important for us not to throw [Alex] Philpott because he threw 35 pitches last night. Luke McNeillie, we wanted to give some rest to and I think there's somebody else in there that was off the card tonight. I mean, it's always a great series. They got three really outstanding starters. I think they beat Florida Gulf Coast tonight. I think they scored 14 runs, at least someone was just telling me. It's always a competitive series and we'll see how it goes. Another challenge for us."
UP NEXT
The Gators host in-state rival Miami in a three-game series this upcoming weekend from Feb. 28-March 2. The opener is set for Friday night at 6:30 p.m. on SEC Network+.
