Going into the series finale between Florida and Mississippi State, the Gators had scored 24 runs on 28 hits in the first two games of the weekend. They continued their offensive onslaught on Sunday, scoring eight runs on 13 hits in Starkville, Mississippi. But it wasn’t enough, as UF was unable to complete the sweep.
Florida (27-15, 6-12 SEC) fell in a high-scoring game against Mississippi State (24-16, 6-12) at Dudy Noble Field 14-8, as its seven-game winning streak was snapped.
The Gators got their offense going early, as senior third baseman Bobby Boser was plunked by the first pitch of the game before junior shortstop Colby Shelton belted out an opposite-field homer that gave Florida a quick 2-0 lead.
UF added a run in the fourth inning, as sophomore center fielder Hayden Yost hit a single, stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. He was brought home on an RBI groundout from junior right fielder Ashton Wilson.
The top of the fifth was an interesting inning for the Gators at the plate. It began with a Brendan Lawson triple that bounced off the top of the outfield wall. The freshman first baseman scored on the play due to an errant throw that went into the third-base dugout.
Later in the inning, junior designated hitter Brody Donay hammered a solo shot down the right-field line to add to his incredible series. He finished the weekend 8-for-15 at the plate with three long balls and five RBIs.
Florida entered the eighth inning down by four, but had the power swing working in the frame. After Yost walked, Wilson clobbered a 434-foot no-doubter to left field. Junior second baseman Justin Nadeau followed with a home run of his own, as UF hit back-to-back homers to cut its deficit to one.
Sophomore right-hander Luke McNeillie started for the Gators and struggled mightily. He was unable to get through three full innings, allowing seven earned runs on seven hits, including a pair of home runs. While Bulldogs’ hitters saw him well, McNeillie was consistently around the zone in the outing, striking out six without a walk.
Mississippi State jumped on McNeillie early, as the Bulldogs got a two-run homer from sophomore third baseman Ace Reese that tied the game 2-2 in the first.
The third inning, however, was when Mississippi State did most of its damage. The Bulldogs sent nine batters to the plate, five of which got hits. The Bulldogs got their first run of the frame on a sacrifice fly. Senior center fielder Bryce Chance then hit an RBI single, and two batters later, graduate catcher Joe Powell blasted a three-run bomb to cap off the big inning and chase McNeillie out of the game.
Florida head coach Kevin O’Sullivan turned to freshman right-hander Jackson Barberi with two away in the third inning. He finished off the frame without any more damage, but gave up an uncharacteristic run in the fourth. After two quick outs to start the frame, he allowed a walk and a single that put runners on the corners. Barberi then threw a ball in the dirt that got away from the catcher and brought home a run.
In the fifth, the Bulldogs tallied their third home run of the ballgame with a solo shot from senior left fielder Gehrig Frei. With that, Barberi’s day was done after 2 1/3 innings, giving up two runs, one of which was earned, on three hits.
Freshman left-hander McCall Biemiller began the sixth on the mound. He was phenomenal in 1 2/3 scoreless innings of work, giving up just one hit and one walk while striking out a pair.
Biemiller was pulled by O’Sullivan in the seventh inning, as redshirt junior righty Billy Barlow closed. After getting a strikeout to end the frame, Barlow struggled in the eighth. He gave up five hits and five runs in the inning, including Frei’s second homer of the game and back-to-back two-run hits that pushed the game out of reach. That was the second five-run frame of the game for the Bulldogs’ offense.
After having their winning streak snapped, the Gators will head back home for a matchup against Georgia Southern on Tuesday. This will be the first meeting between the two schools since 2013 when the Eagles beat Florida in 12 innings. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET at Condron Ballpark.
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.
