Despite a strong outing from UF junior pitcher Liam Peterson, the Gators surrendered five runs in the final three frames to find themselves in a five-run deficit due to inconsistent bullpen play.
The offense could not get going to back up Peterson as well, as Florida logged just seven hits.
No. 9 Florida (13-2) snapped its 13-game winning streak with a 7-2 series-opening loss to High Point (8-6) Friday night at Condron Family Ballpark.
“We got exposed a little bit tonight,” head coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “[High Point] played exceptional defense.”
Peterson set the tone on the mound for Florida to start. He punched out two Panthers, and Gators senior catcher Karson Bowen picked one off at first base in the opening frame.
But Florida’s offense was cold to begin, as they did not get on base for the first two frames. The same could be said for High Point, as Peterson retired the order in the third inning.
However, the Gators got on the board first in the third frame. Junior infielder Landon Stripling and freshman Colton Schwarz hit back-to-back singles and junior outfielder Hayden Yost followed with a sacrifice fly out to advance the runners. Despite the loss, Stripling finished 3-for-3 with a run.
“I’ve felt good about my at-bats all year,” Stripling said. “We’re going to get to work and work on these things. I think we hit a lot of balls hard tonight, and it just didn’t go our way.”
Then, sophomore outfielder Kyle Jones finished the job with a sacrifice groundout to plate Stripling as Florida took a 1-0 lead after three.
Meanwhile, Peterson continued to deal. Despite allowing a walk in the fourth, he recorded his ninth strikeout of the night to leave a Panther stranded at second base.
But the Gators were still seeking offense to back up their ace. Stripling got some momentum going with a one-out double to center field. But with two outs, Yost flew out to center field as it remained a one-run advantage for UF.
High Point gained momentum in the sixth. After junior infielder Frank Kelly walked, freshman shortstop Willie Ponce singled to center field to send Kelly to third.
Peterson was then relieved for junior Russell Sandefer, as the former UCF transfer had his work cut out for him with runners in the corners. He finished with 11 strikeouts while surrendering just one hit in five innings of action.
“I think we beat ourselves,” Peterson said. “The walks in general hurt us a lot.”
Sandefer walked his first batter, as the Panthers saw bases loaded with zero outs. A wild pitch sent Kelly home to tie the game. Then, a sacrifice groundout from senior infielder Landen Johnson sent Ponce home to give HPU a 2-1 lead.
Sandefer was quickly relieved for senior Ernesto Lugo-Canchola. The DII transfer recovered the inning with two straight fans to leave one stranded on third.
However, there was still work to be done for UF’s offense, especially now facing its first deficit of the night.
In came sophomore shortstop Brendan Lawson. After a quiet night heading into the sixth, he tied the game at two runs apiece with a solo bomb to right center field. It marked six home runs for Lawson this season.
With two outs, Bowen doubled to right field, but Strayer left him stranded with a fly out to center field.
After forcing a fly out, Lugo-Canchola was relieved for sophomore Jackson Barberi. Lugo-Canchola finished with two strikeouts and zero walks in one inning of action.
High Point regained the lead in the seventh with three runs. With runners on second and third, Ponce singled to center field to score sophomore infielder Jace Kohler to make it a 3-2 Panthers lead. Then, Allen hit a 2 RBI single to center field to extend the lead to three runs.
Florida’s offense could not respond, as Stripling was left stranded on second after two consecutive groundouts. Barberi was then relieved in the eighth for freshman Jackson Hoyt.
Hoyt retired the side of the order to keep the Gators in it, highlighted by a running effort to get HPU freshman designated hitter Seojun Oh out at first.
Panthers starting sophomore pitcher Wade Walton was relieved for senior Tyler Shafer. Walton had a strong outing with 16 forced outs and four strikeouts while surrendering just six hits on 107 pitches across seven innings.
Florida’s offense still could not get things rolling late, as Jones was left stranded at second after a Surowiec groundout and a Bowen fly out.
Hoyt surrendered a leadoff single and a walk to begin the ninth and was promptly replaced by freshman Eli Blair.
Then, Kelly bunted to give the Panthers loaded bases with zero outs.
Blair did his best, retiring two batters, but Johnson hit a 2 RBI single to right field to make it a 7-2 ballgame.
Yost left two runners stranded with a groundout in the final frame, as the Gators fell for the first time since the season-opener against UAB.
Florida will attempt to tie the series in game two Saturday at 4:00 p.m. at Condron Ballpark.
Contact Adrian Carmona at acarmona@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter @abcarmona04.
Adrian is a senior journalism major and the baseball reporter for the Spring of 2026. He previously served as the soccer reporter in the fall of 2025. He enjoys playing Sporcle quizzes and ranting about South Florida sports.
