Florida Baseball Overpowers No. 4 Georgia to Clinch Series

Florida baseball exploded for a 13-7 series-clinching win against the No. 4 Georgia Bulldogs on Sunday at Foley Field in Athens, Ga.

Georgia fans lined the outfield with signs urging players to “feed the trees” with baseballs hit over the fence, but it was Florida (27-10, 9-6 SEC) that lent a helping hand, dropping seeds over the fence. The Gators hit four home runs against a Georgia pitching staff that had allowed only two home runs in SEC play entering the series, including three in the first two innings.

Hayden Yost led the way with two home runs to deep right field to double his season total. Ethan Surowiec needed just one pitch to go yard with his three-run blast in the first, while leadoff hitter Kyle Jones, who followed Yost’s solo homer, fouled off four pitches in a 2-2 count before sending a solo home run just inside the left-field foul pole in the second that put UF up 5-2.

“Kyle had a great day, career-high five hits, and Ethan had a career-high five RBIs,” UF coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “Hayden Yost hadn’t had a chance to play very much and he has two home runs and has a great game. Then one of the at-bats was Brendan Lawson, when he went the other way for two RBIs was huge.”

Entering the series, the Bulldogs (29-8, 11-4) had hit a nation-best 98 home runs — 21 more than the second-best team in the country. However, Florida pitching took away Georgia’s strength, holding the Bulldogs without a home run for the weekend. 

Despite Florida’s explosive start, scoring all 13 of its runs in the first four innings, junior pitcher Russell Sandefer kept the Bulldogs in the game. In his previous 15 innings across three appearances, Sandefer had allowed just three earned runs. However, he surrendered five earned runs in two innings before being pulled.

It is no surprise that Florida’s bullpen has struggled at times. Look no further than Game 2 of the series, when a four-run collapse in the eighth inning gave Georgia the 5-1 win Saturday after the Gators won the opener 8-2 Friday.

The spotlight was on Ernesto Lugo-Canchola. He entered in the fifth inning with runners on second and third and no outs and quickly shut the door after reliever Luke McNeillie (3-0) calmed Georgia down. Back-to-back strikeouts followed by a flyout ended the threat and preserved Florida’s 13-5 lead.

“I thought his fastball command was really crisp, and he located his breaking ball with two strikes,” O’Sullivan said. “I think we mixed and matched a little bit because I know Georgia likes to hit and counts and that type of thing.”

Florida closer Joshua Whritenour entered in the seventh inning, as O’Sullivan planned to extend him in the series finale. Despite allowing three hits and two runs in the eighth, O’Sullivan trusted his closer to return for the ninth. Whritenour responded with a 1-2-3 inning to secure the series for Florida, which has won nine of its last 11 SEC series

It was a homecoming weekend for Jones, who grew up in Athens. After his freshman season at Stetson, Jones entered the transfer portal and chose Florida over Georgia. Facing his hometown team, Jones delivered a standout performance, going 5 for 5 with a home run and scoring three runs. It marked the first five-hit game of his career.

Jones also recorded singles in the fourth and sixth innings against Georgia pitcher Justin Byrd. The two were high school teammates and won a state championship together in 2022.

Florida’s six-run win capped a successful 3-1 week. After completing a season sweep of No. 5 Florida State with Tuesday’s 4-3 win in Tallahassee, the Gators took the series at the No. 4 Bulldogs. While questions remain about Florida’s consistency, there is little doubt about the team’s ability to compete with anyone in the country.

“I think it says a lot about our character and our leadership,” O’Sullivan said. “We’ve had a really tough schedule.” 

Up next is a Tuesday matchup at Condron Family Ballpark against Bethune-Cookman (25-11), which defeated LSU 10-7 last week. Florida’s last midweek home game resulted in a loss to Jacksonville. The Gators are 10-1 against Top-25 opponents, 7-1 vs. top-10 foes and 6-1 against the top-five, but have struggled against lesser competition.

First pitch Tuesday is set for 6:30 p.m. on SEC Network+ (Radio coverage begins at 6:25 p.m. on 98.1-FM/850-AM WRUF).

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