The Florida Gators entered the sixth inning of Friday night’s series opener against Mississippi State down 3-2. Eleven batters later, UF went into the bottom half of the inning with a 9-3 lead after a red-hot hitting stretch. The Gators scored seven runs on eight hits, four of which went for extra bases.
This inning exemplified the run Florida has been on since beginning SEC play 1-11, as it won its sixth straight game, this time in convincing fashion.
The Gators (26-14, 5-11 SEC) clobbered Mississippi State (23-15, 5-11) in Starkville, Mississippi, 13-3 in a mercy-rule-shortened eight innings, as it carried its momentum from last weekend’s series sweep over Missouri.
UF’s offense took some time to get going on Friday but didn’t disappoint when it did. Senior designated hitter Brody Donay put Florida on the scoreboard in the second inning with an opposite-field solo homer that snuck inside the right-field foul pole. It was Donay’s 10th long ball of the year.
After the Gators scored one run in the fifth on a wild pitch, they entered a monstrous sixth frame. The inning began with a single by Donay. He was brought home on an RBI double by sophomore center fielder Hayden Yost. Junior right fielder Ashton Wilson then laid down a bunt single, which was followed by a run-scoring single from junior second baseman Justin Nadeau.
The inning was just getting started there, as the Gators got back-to-back doubles from senior third baseman Bobby Boser and junior shortstop Colby Shelton to add two more runs. This concluded a string of six consecutive hits to begin the inning for Florida. After the Bulldogs finally got their first out of the frame, Donay blasted a no-doubt, three-run home run that capped off the unbelievable inning.
In the seventh, Wilson led off with a double then stole third base and scored on a ground ball to the infield. Later in the inning, Lawson drove in another run with a sacrifice fly. As for the eighth, Donay continued his dominant night at the plate with his second long ball of the game, a two-run bomb to put the Gators up by double digits.
UF totaled 17 hits and had six batters with multiple knocks. Donay and Shelton were the standouts of the bunch, as the catcher went 4-for-5 with a pair of homers and three RBIs while the shortstop had a 3-for-4 day with a double and an RBI.
Sophomore right-hander Liam Peterson started on the mound for Florida and struggled to keep runners away from the bases but put the Gators in a position to win. He didn’t allow any big innings, giving up just one run on three separate occasions. The first of which came early, as the first pitch he threw was blasted for a home run by Bulldogs senior left fielder Gehrig Frei.
Mississippi State got to Peterson again in the second inning. The Bulldogs hit three singles in the frame, including one from senior center fielder Bryce Chance. He scored two batters later on a fielder’s choice, which put Mississippi State back in the lead.
Peterson surrendered one more run in the fourth inning, as senior first baseman Reed Stallman took him deep to right field for a solo shot. He bounced back well after that, allowing just one baserunner over the next 2 1/3 innings. That included a one-two-three shutdown inning in the sixth that finished his night.
In total, Peterson tossed six innings, giving up seven hits and three earned runs. He walked just one batter while striking out six, as he earned the win, which makes him 6-2 on the season with a 3.74 ERA.
Florida head coach Kevin O’Sullivan used two right-handers to finish off the victory on the mound, as redshirt junior Billy Barlow and redshirt sophomore Caden McDonald combined to throw the final two frames, both of which were scoreless.
UF will look to extend its winning streak to seven and secure its second-straight SEC series victory on Saturday. Freshman right-hander Aidan King will take the mound, who has been fantastic this year with a 4-1 record and a 2.68 ERA. First pitch in Starkville is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET.
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.