With the game tied in the bottom of the ninth inning, sophomore shortstop Brendan Lawson stepped to the plate and demolished a walk-off home run to dead center that sent Condron Ballpark into a frenzy.
Lawson’s blast capped off a dramatic comeback as Florida (40-19, 18-12 SEC) survived Rider (33-19, 22-8 MAC), 8-7, Friday in the opening game of the Gainesville Regional.
The Gators saw success throughout their lineup, launching five home runs in the narrow victory. Redshirt sophomore center fielder Kyle Jones, junior first baseman Landon Stripling, redshirt sophomore two-way player Caden McDonald, senior second baseman Cade Kurland and Lawson each hit a long ball.
Florida struck immediately in the first inning when Jones crushed the first pitch he saw over the left-center-field wall to give the Gators a 1-0 lead.
UF junior starting pitcher Russell Sandefer matched the early offensive spark by striking out the side in the top of the first. The right-hander settled into a groove and retired Rider in order during the third, fourth and fifth innings.
Florida had an opportunity to break the game open in the third after loading the bases with one out, but senior left fielder Blake Cyr and sophomore third baseman Ethan Surowiec both popped out on the infield to end the threat.
The Gators added to their lead in the fourth and fifth innings. McDonald ripped a leadoff double into the right-center-field gap, and Stripling followed with a sacrifice fly to left field that pushed Florida ahead 2-0 in the fourth.
Junior right fielder Hayden Yost led the charge in the fifth as he flared a ball into center field and legged it into a double. Jones followed with an RBI single to left field that extended the lead to 3-0 as Yost slid home safely in a close play at the plate.
Meanwhile, Sandefer looked to continue his dominant outing in the sixth, but after junior shortstop Matt Leahy recorded the Broncs’ first hit since the second inning with a single in the sixth and a walk put runners at the corners, the junior was pulled and McDonald entered in relief.
McDonald escaped the jam by inducing a groundout, and Florida immediately supported its defensive efforts with two runs in the bottom half of the inning. Stripling launched a line-drive home run to right-center field that increased the Gators’ advantage to a comfortable 4-0 lead.
McDonald worked through the seventh inning with little trouble, allowing just one hit while preserving Florida’s four-run lead, but everything unraveled in the eighth.
The Broncs scored six runs with two outs while hitting multiple home runs off of Florida’s two best bullpen arms.
Graduate left-hander Ernesto Lugo-Canchola entered in relief but quickly ran into trouble. After a walk, a fielder’s choice, another walk and a pitching change, Rider loaded the bases against sophomore reliever Jackson Barberi. Senior center fielder Anthony Paskell took advantage, launching a grand slam to left field that erased Florida’s lead and tied the game 4-4.
The inning continued to spiral when redshirt freshman Joshua Whritenour entered from the bullpen. Rider catcher Nick Shuhet blasted a two-run home run to right-center field after a double by sophomore first baseman Charley Magoulick, giving the Broncs a stunning 6-4 lead.
Florida answered immediately in the bottom of the eighth after Rider senior starting pitcher PJ Craig was pulled from the game. With his outing, Craig became the second pitcher in Rider’s history to surpass 100 innings pitched in a season.
McDonald ignited UF’s rally by crushing a towering solo home run to left-center field that nearly left the stadium. Senior catcher Karson Bowen followed with a triple off the wall in right-center field, allowing Kurland to deliver the biggest swing of the night to that point. The senior launched a two-run opposite-field home run to put Florida back in front 7-6.
However, the lead was brief.
In the top of the ninth, Leahy blasted his first home run of the season to tie the game 7-7. Whritenour recovered to retire the next two batters and keep the game even heading into the bottom half of the inning.
“They have to put it behind them,” head coach Kevin O’Sullivan said of the bullpen.
Nonetheless, it was Leahy’s homer that set the stage for Lawson’s heroics.
Florida’s most dangerous hitter came to the plate and crushed a walk-off home run over the batter’s eye in center field to send the Gators into the winner’s bracket.
The Gators will face the winner of Troy and Miami Saturday at 6 p.m. in the Gainesville Regional winners’ bracket game.
Contact Colton Veres at cveres@alligator.org. Follow him on X at @colton_veres.
Colton Veres is a senior sports journalism student in his first semester at The Alligator. He is currently the Summer 2026 baseball reporter. In his free time he enjoys watching the Red Sox and spending times with friends and loved ones.
