When two powerhouse programs like Florida and Miami meet, chaos will always find a way to come into play. In the first two games of their 2025 weekend series, the Gators came away with a pair of impressive – but relatively narrow – wins over the Hurricanes.
On Sunday, however, the script was entirely flipped. Miami (9-3) came away with a staggering 13-6 victory to kill any remaining hopes of a Florida (11-1) series sweep. Despite facing a 4-0 deficit early in the afternoon, the Hurricanes scored a combined nine runs in the game’s middle frames to hold a lead.
Meanwhile, the Gators couldn’t find any semblance of a response, both on the mound and in the batter’s box. Florida only recorded one hit between the fourth and seventh innings, as Miami left it in the dust en route to as one-sided of a game as they come.
“We knew our bullpen was going to be a little light because we had to use Frankie [Menendez], Luke [McNeillie] and Alex [Philpott] Friday and Saturday,” UF head coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “We needed our starter to go six innings, bottom line, and piece that thing together to get the last nine outs. Just too many free passes.”
Florida redshirt sophomore Jake Clemente lasted four innings in his first Sunday start (third start overall) of the season. Despite not allowing a hit through the game’s first three frames, Clemente encountered some turbulence as the afternoon went on. He finished with a line of two hits, four walks, four runs and six strikeouts. Clemente also hit three separate UM batters on the day.
Subsequently, freshman left-handed reliever Niko Janssens notched the first loss of his career. Although he only faced a single batter in the afternoon, the sole walk he surrendered ended up plating the go-ahead run for Miami.
Despite the loss, UF junior catcher Brody Donay continued his stellar start to the 2025 campaign, going 3-for-3 at the plate with a home run. Junior shortstop Colby Shelton chipped in with a 2-for-3 outing, while sophomore third baseman Landon Stripling notched two RBIs via a sacrifice fly and an eighth-inning single.
Florida’s bats were initially hot as can be as Sunday’s matinee got under way. Sophomore right fielder Hayden Yost led off the afternoon with a ground rule double over the left field wall, which Miami junior outfielder Max Galvin seemingly lost in the sun.
Yost did not stay at second for long, as UF senior second baseman Bobby Boser roped an RBI single into the heart of center field to bring him home. Boser went on to score later in the inning, courtesy of a sacrifice fly from sophomore third baseman Landon Stripling.
Two innings later, junior catcher Brody Donay put the Condron Ballpark crowd back on its feet with his team-leading sixth home run of the season. Following a one-out double from junior shortstop Colby Shelton, Donay mashed a ball over the left field fence and into Dizney Grove to extend Florida’s early lead to 4-0.
Miami only needed half an inning to respond, as the Hurricanes got two of those runs right back in the top of the fourth. Galvin reached first base on a hit-by-pitch before stealing second and advancing to third on a throwing error.
Up to this point in the game, Clemente had yet to give up a hit. That changed, however, as UM junior second baseman Dorian Gonzalez Jr. took to the plate. On just the second pitch he saw, Gonzalez Jr. belted an RBI single into right field to score Miami’s first run of the game. The Hurricanes tacked on another run later in the frame via a bases-loaded walk before Clemente got the situation back under wraps.
Things quickly went from bad to worse for Florida in the following frame. Leading off the top of the fifth, Clemente surrendered a walk and a single to the first two batters he faced, prompting O’Sullivan to pull him from the bump. Janssens didn’t fare much better in his place, as he gave up a four-pitch walk before O’Sullivan took him out as well.
With the bases loaded and no outs, UF tapped junior right-hander Billy Barlow to clean things up on the mound. Instead, what ensued proved to be nothing short of mayhem. Barlow plunked the first batter he saw with a pitch for a bases-loaded walk. The Hurricanes followed with three consecutive RBI singles for their first lead of the afternoon.
Gonzalez Jr. hit the first of Miami’s three knocks, sending a ball into center field to tie the game up at 4 runs apiece. Senior catcher Tanner Smith broke that tie in the very next at-bat, cracking a ball through the left side to make it 5-4. Graduate designated hitter Bobby Marsh continued the pile on with a timely knock of his own into left center field, which in turn scored junior shortstop Jake Ogden.
UM junior pinch hitter Renzo Gonzalez capped off the frame with an RBI groundout into a double play. Following another scoreless frame for Florida, Miami came right back with another pair of runs in the top of the sixth.
With one out and the bases empty, UF junior center fielder Justin Nadeau gave chase to what initially looked to be a routine fly ball. Instead, Nadeau was unable to locate the ball and dropped it, prompting a large collective gasp from the Condron Ballpark crowd. Miami subsequently tacked on another pair of back-to-back RBI singles, courtesy of Galvin and Ogden, to extend the lead to 9-4.
Even as they now sported a comfortable five-run cushion, the Hurricanes were still far from done on the afternoon. In the top of the eighth inning, After loading the bases with three more shallow-hit singles, Smith secured a bases-loaded walk before Marsh sent a double barreling down the right field line. The latter’s knock scored three UM runners, and in the blink of an eye, Miami’s lead stood at a staggering 13-4.
Florida managed to regain some of its rhythm at the plate in the bottom of the eighth, but it proved to be far too little and far too late. The Gators knocked out five consecutive singles, including a pair of RBI knocks from Shelton and Stripling, to load the bases with no outs on the board.
Nevertheless, this long-shot comeback bid proved to be short-lived. UF junior designated hitter Luke Heyman and senior outfielder Ty Evans went down on strikes in the ensuing two at-bats before Yost grounded out to strand all three remaining runners.
Florida had one last breath of life in the ninth inning, as freshman first baseman Brendan Lawson tallied a two-out RBI single to score one final run. After Lawson advanced to third base on defensive indifference, Miami shut the door on Florida for good, as Stripling went down swinging on strikes.
Up next, the Gators will travel to Orlando on Tuesday for a midweek contest against UCF. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.
Contact Jack Meyer at jmeyer@alligator.org. Follow him on X @jackmeyerUF.
Jack Meyer is a fourth-year journalism major and the Sports Editor for The Alligator. In his free time, he enjoys reviewing music, spending time with friends, playing video games and going to the gym.
