Down one run in the seventh inning, Florida needed a spark to keep a 12-game winning streak alive.
Sophomore infielder Ethan Surowiec, senior catcher/infielder Karson Bowen and freshman infielder Cash Strayer were walked in the bottom of the frame, giving Florida another chance with loaded bases. Then, senior catcher Cole Stanford was walked, allowing Surowiec to trot home to tie the ballgame at 5-5.
Then, freshman infielder Colton Schwarz hit what should have been a groundout to first base. But, FAMU junior first baseman Josue Figueroa did not get there in time, stepping on the green bag as Schwarz’s hit scored Strayer and Bowen to give Florida a two-run lead again.
Florida’s defense stood tall on the mound, led by their relievers in senior Ernesto Lugo-Canchola and freshman Joshua Whritenour. The two combined for four strikeouts and two scoreless frames to secure a gritty win.
“My confidence is through the roof right now,” Whritenour said. “Throughout the whole entire game, I’m just ready to go.”
No. 9 Florida (13-1) defeated Florida A&M (3-9) 7-5 Wednesday night at Condron Family Ballpark.
Despite the loss, the Rattlers earned respect from UF head coach Kevin O’Sullivan.
“I think Florida A&M actually played well tonight,” O’Sullivan said. “I thought their hitters battled at the plate. They played sound defense.”
FAMU struck first blood in the opening frame. Senior right fielder Caden Kresak struck out but reached first after Stanford overthrew the ball to first base. Rattlers senior outfielder Justen Crews then singled to center field to send Kresak to third.
Junior outfielder Alex Monile then grounded out to a double play, but Kresak scored to put FAMU up 1-0.
The Rattlers plated one more in the second. Figueroa singled down the left field line to score junior designated hitter Jackson McKenzie.
But the Gators responded to tie the game in the bottom of the inning. With two outs, Stanford was walked, and Schwarz followed up with a single to center field. A throwing error from Crews then advanced the runners to second and third.
Then, a 2 RBI single from senior shortstop Sam Miller plated Stanford and Schwarz to notch the game at two runs apiece.
“Big thing for me is starting on time at the plate,” Miller said. “You gotta trust it's gonna be alright.”
UF junior starting pitcher Luke McNeillie was relieved off the mound in favor of senior Billy Barlow. McNeillie surrendered two runs and three hits while logging two strikeouts.
Florida took its first lead in the fourth frame. After Stanford was hit by a pitch, Schwarz followed with a double down the left field line to score Stanford to make it a 3-2 Gators lead.
Miller singled to left field to send Schwarz to third, and senior outfielder Blake Cyr singled to center field to send Schwarz home to make it a two-run lead.
Florida saw loaded bases after Cyr stole second and sophomore infielder Brendan Lawson was walked. But, Surowiec struck out swinging to leave three Gators stranded.
Barlow was relieved for sophomore Caden McDonald after his throwing error to first allowed Kresak to score, as FAMU cut the lead to 4-3.
The Rattlers found loaded bases shortly after with zero outs. McDonald forced a double play, but Crews was able to reach home to even the score. Then, McKenzie singled deep to center field to score Monile as FAMU took back the lead 5-4.
McDonald fanned the side of the Rattlers’ order in the sixth, giving Florida a chance to retake the lead in the bottom.
But, Florida went down in order against the arm of FAMU sophomore reliever Clark Lincoln.
McDonald continued to stand tall on the mound, and with some help from some great catches from Schwarz and Cyr, the Gators surrendered zero runs in the seventh to stay within reach.
In came the three-run inning for the Gators in the bottom of the seventh, but the work was not done yet, as Florida still needed two more stops to ice the ballgame.
Lugo-Canchola stepped up to the mound in the eighth. He fanned two Rattlers and surrendered a hit before being subbed for Whritenour.
The Tampa, Florida, native fanned his first batter with two outs to give Florida a chance to add insurance in the eighth.
The Gators could not find insurance, as Surowiec struck out looking to leave Cyr stranded on third base. Whritenour, however, retired the last three Rattlers to secure a hard-nosed victory for Florida.
“Everything around this team is built around trust,” Whritenour said. “I want to be that guy you could trust in any part of the game.”
UF returns to Condron Ballpark to take on High Point in a weekend series. Game one on Friday is set to begin at 6 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.
