Florida Rolls Past Stetson to Extend Winning Streak

Florida defeated Stetson 10-1 Tuesday night behind a strong performance on the mound and a six-run fourth inning.

The Gators struck out 12 batters as a pitching staff and have now won six straight games.

Junior right-hander Russel Sandefer made an impressive first start for Florida. He retired all nine batters he faced and struck out six, throwing 29 of his 35 pitches for strikes.

“He threw some good changeups to left-handed hitters. His fastball looked 95-96 mph. He threw some really good sliders,” coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “Moving forward, he is going to push us to make some tough decisions for the weekends.”

Florida opened the scoring in the third inning when Ethan Surowiec hit an RBI double to drive in Hayden Yost for a 1-0 lead. Stetson tied the game in the next inning, but that would be its only run.

The Gators responded in the bottom of the fourth with six runs. Hayden Yost hit an RBI double, and Surowiec and Blake Cyr combined for four RBIs in the inning.

After Sandefer’s start, Caden McDonald earned the win with three innings of relief. The redshirt sophomore allowed three hits and struck out two.

Florida also got strong performances at the plate. Yost finished 2-for-3 with two doubles and two runs scored, Cole Stanford went 2-for-3 with a home run and two runs scored, Blake Cyr went 2-for-4 with three RBIs, and Surowiec went 2-for-3 with three RBIs.

Florida will travel to Tuscaloosa this weekend for a three-game SEC series against Alabama. First pitch is set for Friday at 7 p.m.

“It is different on the road,” O’Sullivan said. “That’s why home records always seem to be better than the road records. But, if you want to be a team that wins the league, you have to win on the road.”

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