Gators Baseball Again Run-Rules FlyBoys

In front of the fifth largest crowd — 8,155 — in program history Saturday at Condron Family Ballpark, the Gators run-ruled the Dayton Flyers 11-1 for the second game in a row.

The Gators (6-0) wasted no time at the plate to clinch the series

“We got production up and down the lineup again,” Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “And, you know, I think clean baseball. So, overall, it was a good night.” 

Bobby Boser started the run production in the first inning with a sacrifice fly to score junior Blake Cyr. Florida stayed quiet in the second but exploded in the third when freshman Brendan Lawson blasted a grand slam to increase the lead to 5-0. This was his first collegiate home run.

GRAND SALAMI BRENDAN LAWSON 🚀#GoGators // 📺 https://t.co/bmTLm2mmez pic.twitter.com/MSxTzKql1t

— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) February 22, 2025

“It feels good to get it out of the way,” Lawson said. “Now I can just relax a bit, but it’s good to help the team out when it’s a close game.”

The next six runs for the Gators were tacked on in the final few innings of the mercy rule. In the bottom of the sixth, a Colby Shelton line drive double to left field brought in Ty Evans and Cyr.

Florida ended the night with a rally in the eighth. Shelton (3-for-5) had another RBI double. Soon after, Lawson hit a sacrifice fly to increase the score 9-1. Landon Stripling then doubled down the left field line to end the game early with a 10-run gap.

WALK-OFF IN 8 FOR LANDO!!! ✅#GoGators // 📺 https://t.co/bmTLm2mmez pic.twitter.com/Hp8ALlBFBe

— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) February 22, 2025

Pitching Productivity

Florida’s pitching staff continued to put pressure on Dayton (2-4) by only giving up one run.

It took a few pitches for starter Jake Clemente to warm up, but he then struck out three batters in the first. Pitching only four innings, Clemente struck out seven, allowed one hit and zero runs. O’Sullivan said Clemente “seemed a little off” and struggled at some points.

However, Frank Menendez (1-0) stepped in for the first time this season and struck out five batters on just 31 pitches. His change-ups, fastballs and curveballs were all effective in the zone.

“It was definitely like a huge confidence boost to go in there, after not pitching for a while, and kind of dominate,” Menendez said. 

Matthew Jenkins closed for the Gators, pitching the final inning. He struck out one, gave up two hits and allowed the Flyboys’s only run on a single up the middle.

The Dayton pitchers gave up nine hits and only struck out two batters.

Looking For Sweep

The Gators look to sweep their second weekend series. Redshirt junior Pierce Coppola is on the mound Sunday to throw the first pitch at noon. Tune in on SEC Network+ and ESPN 98.1-FM/850-AM WRUF for live coverage.