Florida baseball entered its Friday night game against Georgia with a 13-1 record when scoring first. UF managed to hold the lead twice — once in the first inning, and again in the eighth. Both times, the Gators let it slip away.
In a back-and-forth battle where neither team led by more than one run after the first inning, it was No. 13 Florida (18-6, 0-4 SEC) that ultimately fell short, losing 8-7 to No. 4 Georgia (22-1, 3-1 SEC) after giving up a late homer to graduate student designated hitter Ryland Zaborowski.
Florida has yet to win a game against an SEC opponent this season.
Though three different Gators went deep, UF’s lackluster pitching performance proved too much to overcome. Freshman righty Aidan King allowed five runs on six hits before being pulled, and Florida’s relievers didn’t fare much better.
Junior shortstop Colby Shelton got things going for the Gators, launching one over the fences to give UF a three-run lead in the first inning. Shelton has reached base in all 24 of Florida’s games this season.
However, the lead he created wouldn’t last. After a seven-pitch first inning, King had trouble finding the strike zone in the next frame, allowing Georgia to score four runs before he was finally able to escape the inning.
UF senior third baseman Bobby Boser quickly answered with a deep ball in the very next inning, tying the game at four. This back-and-forth continued throughout the game, where the Gators would fight back, only for their pitchers to relinquish the lead once again. When King allowed another run in the fourth, it was junior catcher Luke Heyman who responded, launching a homer into the Georgia bullpen to even the score.
Sophomore righty Luke McNeillie eventually came in to replace King. He looked strong at first, recording three strikeouts, but he began to struggle as well. Though the Georgia native ranks second on the team in strikeouts, leadoff walks have been an issue for him this season. He began the seventh with one, and Georgia quickly took advantage before regaining the lead.
The Gators needed another clutch play from their lineup, and once again, it was Heyman who came through. The junior tripled to center field, slipping one past the glove of Georgia graduate outfielder Nolan McCarthy to tie the game in the eighth.
But unlike earlier in the game, Florida didn’t stop there. Sophomore right fielder Hayden Yost, who had entered the contest as a pinch-hitter, hit a sacrifice fly into left field, bringing in Heyman and giving the Gators the lead, 7-6, for the first time since the first inning. Yost has thrived under pressure this season and was a bright spot for Florida in what was otherwise a tough loss.
The Gators suddenly needed just three outs to secure their first SEC victory. However, they had the bad luck of having to face Zaborowski in that pivotal moment, who was tied for the NCAA lead in home runs. Sophomore righty Alex Philpott threw a pitch that was just a bit too center-cut, and Zaborowski made him pay with a no-doubt two-run blast to left field that left Florida reeling as he rounded the bases.
Despite a late rally in the bottom of the ninth, the game ended with a three-pitch strikeout of junior designated hitter Brody Donay, sealing the frustrating 8-7 loss for the Gators.
Heyman and Shelton were undoubtedly the team’s best performers against Georgia, combining for five RBI. Though a lot of the blame could be placed on Florida’s subpar pitching performance, there were also multiple Gators who had tough nights in the batter’s box. Junior left fielder Blake Cyr went 0-for-5 on the night with four strikeouts, including one in the bottom of the ninth.
Florida will try to rebound in the second game of the series, which is set for noon on Saturday.
Contact Daniela Ortiz at dortiz@alligator.org. Follow her on X @danielaortizUF.
Daniela Ortiz is a sophomore sports journalism major covering the UF club hockey team for Spring 2025. This is her first semester at the sports desk for The Alligator. When she's not watching sports, she likes to draw and read.
