Once again, cold bats and inconsistent pitching were the downfall for No. 18 Florida.
The Gators had six hits and left eight runners stranded while the mound issued seven walks and surrendered eight runs and hits while striking out just seven total batters.
Florida (19-5, 3-1 SEC) dropped game two against Alabama (17-7, 2-3 SEC) 8-2 on Saturday evening in Tuscaloosa, as the Gators have now lost two of their last three series.
Sophomore Aidan King had a shaky outing on the mound for Florida. In five innings of action, he had four strikeouts while issuing four walks and surrendering four runs on three hits.
For the second game in a row, it was the Crimson Tide that drew first blood. In the bottom of the first, junior shortstop Justin Lebron was walked, followed by a single to left-center field from senior catcher Brady Neal.
With one out and Lebron at third, senior infielder Jason Torres grounded out to send Lebron home to make it a quick 1-0 lead.
But the Gators had a quick response. On just the third pitch of the second frame, senior catcher Karson Bowen hammered one to left field to even the game at one run apiece.
Florida took its first lead of the series in the third. Junior infielder Cade Kurland led off with a single to right-center field, and sophomore outfielder Kyle Jones was walked. Senior outfielder Blake Cyr proceeded to score Kurland with an RBI single to right field to make it a 2-1 Gators advantage.
The Crimson Tide had an answer, reclaiming the lead in the bottom. With runners on second and third, Neal singled to left field to plate one. Then, Torres hit another sacrifice groundout with a bunt, allowing senior outfielder Bryce Fowler to touch home plate and give Alabama a one-run lead again.
In the top of the fifth, Jones reached first on a throwing error from Torres and proceeded to steal second. But, Cyr lined out to leave him stranded as Florida still trailed at the midpoint.
Alabama tacked on to its lead in the bottom of the fifth. With Fowler on third, Neal singled for the third time to score Fowler to make it a two-run score.
Freshman infielder Kolt Myers led off with a double in the top of the sixth for the Gators, but the next three batters went down as Myers was left stranded.
Sophomore Jackson Barberi took the mound in place of King in the sixth. Barberi started well, retiring three Tide batters to leave one stranded.
But, Alabama tacked on two more in the seventh. With Fowler at second after his double to right-center field, Lebron slammed a two-run bomb to left field to extend the Crimson Tide's lead to 6-2.
After surrendering a single and a walk on two outs, Barberi was relieved for senior Billy Barlow. Barberi finished with one strikeout while issuing two walks and surrendering three hits.
In the top of the eighth, Jones was walked and Cyr was hit by a pitch, giving the Gator offense life with zero outs. But, three straight outs left Florida with nothing as two runners were left stranded.
Freshman Eli Blair replaced Barlow in the eighth after surrendering a double to Alabama sophomore catcher Luke Vaughn. Barlow finished with two strikeouts while giving up one hit.
Crimson Tide graduate infielder Brennan Colt then doubled down the right field line, scoring Vaughn to make it a 7-2 ballgame.
The disastrous stretch continued as Blair issued a walk and hit Lebron with a pitch, giving the Crimson Tide loaded bases with one out.
Neal sacrificed himself with a ground-out to first, but Holt managed to score to make it a six-run advantage.
Florida tacked on two in the ninth, as a sacrifice line-out from Jones scored sophomore infielder Ethan Surowiec, and an RBI double from Cyr made it a 8-4 game. But, Alabama held on as Myers lined out for the final out of the game.
The Gators will look to avoid the sweep Sunday in Tuscaloosa, with first pitch set for 1:00 p.m.
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.
