Gators Baseball Suffers First Loss Of Season

The No. 8 Florida baseball team jumped to a 4-0 lead after three innings Sunday, but couldn’t keep Miami from salvaging the third game of the series at Condron Ballpark.

Florida’s first loss of the season came after Miami (9-3) scored 13 runs from the fourth through the eighth inning to retie the all-time series at 136-136-1.

Bobby Boser and Landon Stripling hit the first RBIs to give Florida (11-1) the lead in the first. After a scoreless second, Brody Donay launched a two-run home run, his sixth of the season, 400 feet over left center for a 4-0 lead.

🏗️ DONAY DEMO NO. 6 🏗️#GoGators // 📺 https://t.co/lfO40iL04x pic.twitter.com/QTkY77W3Fc

— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) March 2, 2025

 

The Hurricanes then took advantage of a struggling Florida pitching staff. Florida rotated six pitchers, who gave up 14 hits, 13 runs, six walks and hit four batters. They did strike out nine. UF also committed two errors.

“It’s really the first time all year that we kind of fell apart on the mound,” Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. 

Starting right-handed pitcher Jake Clemente executed six of those strikeouts. He looked solid through the first three innings, striking out five, but then walked and hit batters.

The fourth inning was the start of Miami’s comeback as Clemente gave up an RBI single and walked in a run.

The Hurricanes kept the rally going in the fifth for their first lead of the series at 7-4. Niko Janssens came in for four pitches to load the bases. Billy Barlow stepped in and hit his first batter for a run. Barlow then gave up four consecutive RBI singles.

The ‘Canes added another two RBI singles in the sixth off Barlow. Pitching next, Jackson Barberi kept the Gators in the running, giving up no runs in the seventh. However, Jacob Gomberg’s first appearance after Tommy John’s surgery increased Florida’s losing gap.

Gomberg struck out one, but allowed four runs. He walked in a run and gave up a three-run double that increased the score to 13-4.

Christian Rodriguez closed for the Gators by striking out one and allowing one hit.

O’Sullivan knew the bullpen would be light due to relievers throwing in wins Friday and Saturday. The Gators allowed more than six runs in a game for the first time this year.

“Don’t worry about the pitching,” O’Sullivan said. “Today was just one of those days.”

Comeback Attempt

The Gators tried to come back. In the bottom of the eighth, Brendan Lawson and Stripling hit RBI singles. Lawson knocked in Florida’s final run with a single in the ninth.

Florida still had a good game with 12 hits and seven runs.

“Normally when we score seven, we’re probably going to win most games,” O’Sullivan said. “The way we were pitching, today was just one of those days it kind of got away from us.”

Up Next

There were no updates on Pierce Coppola and Cade Kurland’s injuries from Saturday’s game.

Sunday’s crowd of 7,316 brought the series attendance to a program-record 23,737 for a three-game set.

Florida heads to Orlando to take on UCF at 6 p.m. Tuesday. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and air on ESPN 98.1-FM/850-AM WRUF.

The following day, the Gators will be back at Condron Family Ballpark against Florida Atlantic. Coverage of the game will be on SEC Network+ and ESPN 98.1-FM/850-AM WRUF at 6 p.m.