The Florida Gators had everything clicking to start the season, as they rattled off 11 straight wins. However, after a 13-7 loss on Sunday in its series finale against Miami, Florida’s woes continued on Tuesday against another in-state opponent.
The No. 7 Gators (11-2) fell to the UCF Knights (9-3) in Orlando 13-3 on Tuesday night, as UF dropped its second consecutive game and sixth straight against UCF.
The Knights jumped on sophomore right-hander Matthew Jenkins early. The 6-foot-6 Live Oak, FL, native made his first start and fourth appearance for UF this season, but he couldn’t get out of the fourth inning. After an error by Gators junior first baseman Brody Donay, Knights sophomore right fielder Andrew Williamson hit an opposite-field long ball to put UCF on the board.
Jenkins’ night was done after just 3 1/3 innings pitched, as he allowed three runs, two of which were earned, on two hits, one walk and four strikeouts.
Sophomore righty Luke McNeillie relieved Jenkins and allowed three runs himself. He tossed 1 2/3 frames and surrendered a 397-foot three-run bomb to junior second baseman Edian Espinal in the fifth inning, which gave UCF a four-run advantage.
After McNeillie was pulled, Florida head coach Kevin O’Sullivan turned to freshman left-hander Niko Janssens. The southpaw struggled mightily, facing five batters and giving up three hits and one walk. All four batters that made it on base came around to score and blew the game open in the sixth inning.
UCF added three more runs in the eighth, as the Knights scored 11 consecutive runs to put the game out of reach. Two of the runs were charged to redshirt freshman righty Christian Rodriguez, who tossed 1 2/3 innings and allowed four hits. The last run was given up by freshman right-hander Blaine Rowland, who threw the final frame in his collegiate debut.
Not only did the pitching staff have a hard time for the Gators, but their bats weren’t too hot either. The team scattered seven hits and scored just three runs. Florida started fast, with the first two runs coming in the second inning on back-to-back RBI singles from junior catcher Luke Heyman and junior left fielder Blake Cyr.
While Heyman was productive at the plate, going 1-for-3 with a walk and the run-scoring base hit, he was even more impressive behind the plate. He gunned down both stolen base attempts UCF had on the night. Heyman has now caught five of the 11 attempted steals against him this season.
Another bright spot for Florida was freshman first baseman Brendan Lawson, who continued his impressive rookie campaign. The Ontario, Canada, native was the only Gator with multiple hits on the evening. He led off the ninth with a wall-scraping homer to left field, marking his third long ball of the year.
After suffering back-to-back losses to Miami and UCF, Florida will look to get back on track at home against FAU on Wednesday. The Owls have started their season hot with a 10-1 record, but the Gators have won the last three they’ve played against FAU. First pitch on Wednesday at Condron Ballpark is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. EST.
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.
