After falling twice to non-Power Four opponents at home in April, No. 21 Florida made sure it didn’t happen again on Tuesday.
In doing so, the Gators capitalized on subpar fielding and pitching by the University of North Florida in a seven-inning blowout.
After a lackluster performance from the Ospreys, Florida (32-17, 13-11 SEC) won its sixth game of the season in run-rule fashion, downing UNF (26-21), 11-1, at Condron Family Ballpark.
The Gators got off to a hot start in the first, as they quickly got to UNF starting pitcher Tommy Groom. The graduate allowed two walks and four earned runs before he was pulled without recording an out.
Kyle Jones was instrumental to UF’s success, providing a spark in its explosive first inning. The sophomore centerfielder led off the game with a double to left center and scored the Gators first run. Additionally, senior Blake Cyr was hit by a pitch in the opening frame, which eventually led to another run for the Gators.
Though UF failed to register a hit through the next two innings, it jumped right back to form in the bottom of the fourth. Jones and Cyr hit a pair of RBI singles that plated two more runs for the Gators.
Between the fifth and sixth innings, Florida tallied five hits and added three more runs.
UF junior Landon Stripling stood out as the Gators’ top performer and flashed his versatility throughout. He logged a team-best seven putouts and blasted a solo home run in the fifth.
In the sixth, the senior doubled to left field and was originally called out, but the call was overturned. This allowed him to record his second run of the game after an RBI single off the bat of sophomore Ethan Surowiec.
Conversely, UNF struggled at the plate throughout and hit a measly .174. Sophomore Cooper Walls and redshirt senior Billy Barlow each threw three innings for the Gators, posting four combined strikeouts. The pair of redshirt sophomore Christian Rodriguez and redshirt senior Ricky Reeth closed out the seventh, and Barlow ultimately secured the win, improving to 2-0 on the season.
On the other side, the Ospreys used five pitchers, who only combined for two strikeouts. The poor pitching allowed the Gators to bat above .300 for a second straight game, as they went 10-for-30 (.333).
The Gators resume SEC play Friday when they kick off a three-game home series against Kentucky (29-16, 11-13 SEC). First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m.
Contact Colby Kistner at ckistner@alligator.org. Follow him on X @colbykistner22.
Colby is a sports journalism senior in his second semester with the Alligator covering golf. He has experience covering Buchholz and Santa Fe High School sports and also worked in UF's innovation center where he wrote and created radio content for WRUF. Furthermore, he is interning at Idaho Education News Center in Boise and is looking to minor in business. In his free time, he watches the Seattle Kraken and the NHL as a whole.
