The madness began in the sixth inning.
Stetson starter Adam Schaly was pulled after his pitch hit Ryan Larson in the face, drawing blood.
Minutes later, right-hander Josh Thorne pegged Richie Martin in the back, drawing a reaction from Florida’s dugout. Thorne was ejected.
As the Gators led 5-1 heading into the bottom of the inning, they crumbled without starter Alex Faedo on the mound, surrendering four hits, five runs and their lead.
But UF’s offense managed to bail out its bullpen as No. 4 Florida (21-5) avoided an upset with a 9-6 victory over Stetson (14-12) Tuesday night.
The game was UF’s first against SU since 2009, but felt more like a matchup between two familiar rivals.
While Faedo was sharp — the righty allowed just two hits and one run in five innings — Florida’s bullpen continued its streak of inconsistency.
Its five relievers combined for four strikeouts while allowing five runs and five hits. Two of them failed to record an out.
"We played nine innings, and then we have one half an inning where we don’t pitch. It kind of puts a sour taste in your mouth," coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. "(The win) doesn’t disguise the fact that we have to do a better job out of the pen."
Florida tallied a .359 batting average, and six of its players had at least two hits.
Josh Tobias had the game’s only home run alongside a team-high three RBIs, and Martin reached base for the 10th time in his last 11 games, going 3-for-4 while scoring three runs.
Florida cruised through the first inning with four runs on four hits as six batters reached base.
But in the bottom of the first and with the sun shining in his eyes, Harrison Bader couldn’t locate a fly ball to left field, which allowed the Hatters’ Vance Vizcaino to reach third.
Vizcaino scored after Stetson’s next batter grounded out, narrowing UF’s lead to 4-1.
Stetson recorded just one hit in the next four innings before taking the lead against Florida in the sixth.
The Hatters led by one until the eighth, when Bader scored Martin from second after he singled to center field.
Next, Josh Tobias hit a two-run homer to take a 8-6 lead.
Florida scored one more run in the ninth after Larson grounded out to second base, scoring Jason Lombardozzi.
Florida will return home to begin a three game series against Alabama beginning Thursday at 7 p.m.
"We probably needed a game like this, to be honest with you," O’Sullivan said.
"To fall behind after we had a comfortable lead and to battle back was good for our team and our psyche."
A radio broadcast contributed to this report.
Follow Ian Cohen on Twitter @icohenb
Josh Tobias bats during Florida’s 3-1 win against Florida State on March 18.
