After a stunning series loss to High Point this past weekend, Florida baseball was looking to make a statement.
What better way to bounce back than against an arch-rival, as Florida State came to town for a classic Sunshine State rivalry showdown.
The Gators (15-3) made their statement on the mound, as six pitchers combined for 18 strikeouts en route to a 6-3 victory over No. 20 Florida State (13-3) 6-3 Tuesday night at Condron Family Ballpark.
“Feels a lot better now than this weekend,” head coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “I was just glad we flushed this weekend. We are a bit at an advantage to be able to play quality teams in the midweek.”
Freshman Schuyler Sandford earned his first start on the mound this season for the Gators. He struck out two but walked three before being relieved for junior Luke McNeillie in the second inning.
Florida threatened to score in the opening frame. Sophomore shortstop Brendan Lawson walked, and although he was ruled out at second, sophomore infielder Ethan Surowiec reached first. Surowiec then stole second base, and senior catcher Karson Bowen was walked to put runners on first and second.
But freshman outfielder Cash Strayer struck out to leave them stranded to end the inning.
The Seminoles drew first blood in the second frame. With bases loaded and two outs, junior shortstop Cal Fisher singled to center field to send home two. McNeillie struck one out to leave two stranded, but FSU earned an early two-run lead.
McNeillie bounced back in the following frame, retiring the ‘Noles’ order.
Florida responded to take the lead in the third. Sophomore outfielder Kyle Jones started things with a single to left field while stealing second base. Lawson then walked, and Surowiec sent Jones home with a single to left field to cut FSU’s lead to one run.
Then, Bowen singled to right-center to give the Gators loaded bases with one out.
Strayer followed up with a 2 RBI single to center field, as Surowiec and Lawson scored to give Florida a 3-2 lead. Junior infielder Landon Stripling followed by forcing the walk as UF saw the bags loaded for the second time in the inning.
Freshman outfielder Jacob Kendall proceeded to line a single up the middle to plate Strayer and Bowen to extend Florida’s lead to three runs.
But Florida State inched closer with a one-run fourth inning. Freshman infielder Eli Putnam doubled down the left field line, and fellow freshman infielder Will Bavaro rewarded him with a single to center field to send him home, making it a two-run lead for Florida.
McNeillie was subbed for junior Russell Sandefer in the fifth after logging three fans and issuing four groundouts while surrendering just one run.
Sandefer was solid in his outing, holding FSU scoreless while fanning two. He was then relieved in the sixth after surrendering a hit to shallow left field from sophomore catcher Hunter Carns. Sophomore Jackson Barberi took over on the hill.
Barberi walked his first batter but made a big stand, as he struck out the next two Seminoles to leave two stranded.
Lawson then hammered his ninth home run of the season to right-center field to give Florida a three-run advantage again.
“To be able to have [FSU] come to our place, get the first one out of three under our belts, that's always a good one,” Lawson said. “It really gets you ready for SEC play. And I think we're going to be in a good spot going there.”
Barberi continued to deal in the seventh, fanning the side of FSU’s order to send it to the bottom of the frame. He struck out five of his six batters faced before being subbed for senior Ernesto Lugo-Canchola to begin the eighth.
Lugo-Canchola surrendered a walk and fanned one in his short stint in the eighth before being relieved for freshman Joshua Whritenour.
The first-year man left two Seminoles stranded with two massive strikeouts, as Florida was given a chance to add insurance up three runs.
“I've gotten to the point where now everything seems to be flowing for me,” Whritenour said. “I just take a deep breath, don't worry about who we're playing at that point when I get out there.”
But the insurance was not there, as Lawson was ruled out at second base off a ground ball from Surowiec.
That was no problem for Whritenour, who fanned the last three Florida State batters to secure the ranked win.
“There's nothing wrong with being excited about the win tonight, but when we come back tomorrow to practice, we gotta put this one behind us,” O’Sullivan said. “We gotta get focused and ready for South Carolina.”
Florida begins SEC play Friday as South Carolina visits Condron Ballpark. First pitch is set for 6:30 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.
