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The Florida Gators captured their first series victory against a top-five team Sunday in the 9-5 win against No. 5 Arkansas at Condron Family Ballpark. The Gators won Friday 6-4 before Arkansas took Game 2 Saturday 7-0.
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Despite an early 5-1 deficit, the Gators (30-16, 8-13 SEC) showcased resilience to mount a comeback fueled by timely hitting and a strong bullpen performance. This victory marks a pivotal moment in Florida’s season in highlighting their potential as they approach the postseason. Florida’s RPI is up to No. 19 behind a No. 5 strength of schedule.
“We can’t take anything for granted,” UF coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “I told them, [the team] today’s the most important game of the season. Next Friday is the most important game of the season. We have to take it game by game.”
Early Trouble For Florida
Florida turned to Billy Barlow to open the game on the mound. After a clean first inning, the second proved to be a nightmare. Barlow hit two batters, allowed a double and a single to load the bases with only one out.
Reliever Alex Philpott came in to try and limit the damage, but was unsuccessful. Arkansas (37-9, 14-7) capitalized with five runs across the second inning, four earned to Barlow and one to Philpott.
Gators Chip Away
Florida didn’t flinch. Hayden Yost’s RBI groundout in the second trimmed the deficit to 5-2. In the fourth, back-to-back hits from Landon Stripling and Justin Nadeau pulled the Gators closer. Bobby Boser’s RBI single cut the Arkansas lead to just one.
The comeback was complete in the fifth when Brody Donay’s double — and an Arkansas error allowed Blake Cyr to score to tie the game at 5-5.
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Florida Takes Over
Momentum firmly on their side, the Gators exploded in the sixth inning. Yost led off with a single and Boser ripped an RBI double to give Florida its first lead since the opening frame. Brendan Lawson followed with a clutch RBI double to make it 7-5 Gators.
Ty Evans provided insurance in the seventh with his first home run of the season, a solo shot that pushed the lead to 8-5. Florida tacked on one more in the eighth after Boser singled, stole second and later scored on Cyr’s fielder’s choice to win its 10th game of its last 12 contests, including seven of nine in SEC play.
“It was a good feeling,” Evans said. “Just to go out there and win a series today, being in the lineup, it was incredible.”
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Lockdown Relief from McNeillie and Clemente
After shaky starting pitching, Florida’s bullpen dominated the back half. Luke McNeillie (4-2) tossed 1.2 scoreless innings with two strikeouts to earn the win. Jake Clemente was outstanding in a three-inning save, his fifth of the season. Clemente struck out four Razorbacks and stranded the bases loaded in the ninth to shut the door.
Up Next
Florida will be off in the midweek before traveling to Columbia for a crucial SEC series at South Carolina (25-20, 5-16). First pitch will be on Friday at 7 p.m. on SECN+ and ESPN 98.1-FM/850-AM WRUF + WJXL 1010AM.
