Down to its final out and behind by three runs, UNF freshman pinch-hitter Seth Alford notched a bases-clearing double to put a scare into the Florida faithful and send the game to the bottom of the ninth. In the home half, the Gators loaded the bases themselves and walked it off on a wild pitch.
The No. 8 Florida Gators (9-0) beat the North Florida (6-3) Ospreys 7-6 at Condron Ballpark on Wednesday night to stay unbeaten in 2025.
“Games like this are important to go through,” Florida head coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “You got a lead there in the ninth and give up four. It’s one of those things you can’t practice or simulate in practice. There’s a lot of positives from the game tonight.”
The Gators used three pitchers in the top of the seventh, as they loaded the bases and allowed two runs that cut their lead to one. In the home half, Florida ran nine batters to the plate, including two by way of errors, and scored three runs. That string of at-bats was capped by junior catcher Brody Donay’s fifth home run of the season, a two-run shot that seemingly won the game for the Gators — at least at the time.
In the ninth, UF freshman first baseman Brendan Lawson hit a one-out single. Junior second baseman Cade Kurland followed suit with a double down the left-field line. Lawson came home to score the winning run on a wild pitch from UNF junior right-hander Kaden Humphrey that ended the game over three-and-a-half hours after first pitch.
Florida’s bats were hot throughout Wednesday night. The team had 14 hits in the ballgame, as all nine players in the order had at least one. Lawson and Kurland tallied three each. The freshman first baseman went 3-for-5 with two runs scored, while Kurland had the big double in the ninth to continue his impressive run at the plate.
“[Kurland’s] had a really good week,” O’Sullivan said. “That last at-bat was really good, to get down to two strikes and hit that double. He hit it really hard down the left-field line that kind of got us going.”
It was a bullpen game for UF’s pitching staff against the Ospreys. Florida trotted out seven arms to the mound, including three straight true freshmen to begin the ballgame.
“I thought, for the most part, we pitched fairly well,” O’Sullivan said.
Right-hander Jackson Barberi made his first collegiate start for Florida. He kept the bat off the ball but was wild at times. He got through 2 1/3 innings of one-hit ball with three strikeouts, but walked three as well.
He was followed by left-handers Niko Janssens and McCall Biemiller, both making their collegiate debuts. Janssens pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings, giving up two hits with four punchouts. Biemiller tossed one hitless inning, allowing two walks with one strikeout.
Sophomore righty Matthew Jenkins allowed three of the four runs in the ninth inning as he began the frame with two walks and a single. Redshirt freshman right-hander Caden McDonald gave up the game-tying double to Alford, but limited the damage there and kept the game tied going into the bottom half.
The Gators will now have their toughest test so far this season, as they welcome the Miami Hurricanes (8-1) to Gainesville for a three-game series. Florida has won each of the last three series against its in-state rival. The set begins on Friday at 6:30 p.m. EST at Condron Ballpark.
“It’s always a great series,” O’Sullivan said. “We’ll see how it goes. Another challenge for us.”
Contact Hugh Green at hgreen@alligator.org. Follow him on X @HGreen_15.
Hugh is the Spring 2025 baseball beat reporter for The Alligator. He is a fourth-year journalism sports and media major. In his free time, Hugh enjoys watching all kinds of sports with his friends.
