{"id":273872,"date":"2026-05-17T00:27:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-17T00:27:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/273872\/"},"modified":"2026-05-17T00:27:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-17T00:27:08","slug":"florida-closes-out-regular-season-with-sweep-of-lsu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/273872\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida Closes Out Regular Season with Sweep of LSU"},"content":{"rendered":"

GAINESVILLE, Fla. \u2013 No. 9\/19 Florida barreled a season-high 18 hits highlighted by five home runs to deliver a 15-11 victory and resounding series sweep of LSU in the regular-season finale at Alex Box Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
\n\u00a0
\nWith the sweep, the Gators (37-18, 18-12 SEC) have now won a program-record, five-straight games against the Tigers (29-27, 9-21 SEC) since 2024 \u2013 all of which took place in Baton Rouge. Florida closes out the regular season riding a four-game win streak as well as victories in eight of its last nine games. The Gators now shift their focus to the second round of SEC Tournament, where they will take on the winner of No. 12 seed Vanderbilt vs. No. 13 seed Kentucky on Wednesday, May 20 in the second matchup of the day at the Hoover Met.
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\nFinishing with 10 long balls in the series, the Orange & Blue popped five home runs en route to a season-high 15 runs in SEC play. Cade Kurland<\/a> (2-for-5) bopped two long balls while Hayden Yost<\/a> (4-for-5) stole the show with a three-homer game on top of a team-high five RBI and four hits. The duo hit back-to-back big flies in the eighth, giving Kurland two RBI and two runs scored. Ethan Surowiec<\/a> (4-for-5) produced his team-best 20th multi-hit contest in addition to posting his second-career, four-hit effort and three RBI.
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\nAll in all, five Gators turned in multi-hit games as Landon Stripling<\/a> (3-for-6) and Karson Bowen<\/a> (2-for-4) stuffed the stat sheet as well. Eight of nine UF starters had a base hit.
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\nFlorida failed to score in the top of the first inning for the first time in the series, but UF starter Russell Sandefer<\/a> matched with a zero and one strikeout on 10 pitches in the home half. Bowen got the Gators on the hit column with a two-out triple in the second but was left stranded as Stripling grounded out on a hot shot to second base.
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\nThe Tigers got their first baserunner via a leadoff walk by Mason Braun in the bottom of the second, followed by a single to left from Seth Dardar to put runners two men on. After a UF mound visit, Sandefer logged consecutive strikeouts and a two-out walk to load the bases. Tanner Reaves then hit a line drive to left, but Blake Cyr<\/a> made a diving catch to save a trio of runs and send the matchup into the third.
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\nLeading off the top of the third inning, Kurland hammered the first pitch over the left-field bleachers to open the scoring at 1-0. Yost then singled through the right side while Brendan Lawson<\/a> worked a one-out walk, with both moving up one base on a wild pitch to Surowiec \u2013 who took advantage with a two-run single back up the middle to extend the UF lead to 3-0.
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\nSandefer retired the first two Tigers in the bottom of the third, but Cade Arrambide popped a solo shot to right-center to cut the Florida edge to 3-1 before the inning was said and done. Florida quickly got the run back in the top of the fourth, as Strayer singled to right and Bowen reached on a bunt hit to third base to get it going. Stripling capitalized with an RBI single through the right side to plate Strayer, returning the Gators’ lead to three runs at 4-1.
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\nIn the home half of the fourth, Sandefer rebounded for a scoreless frame while picking up his fourth strikeout. Arrambide got to him again in the fifth, powering a two-run blast off the batter’s eye in center field to bring LSU within one run. That prompted Sandefer’s removal, but not before the Tigers tied the ballgame at 4-4 on an RBI single to right field off the bat of Dardar. Redshirt sophomore Schuyler Sandford<\/a> entered and quieted the rally by inducing an inning-ending, 6-4-3 double play.
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\nPlaying in a brand-new ballgame in the top of the sixth, the Gators promptly stormed back in front with two runs to retake a 6-4 lead. Following a leadoff single to left from Stripling, Yost uncorked a one-out, two-run homer to right field to put the Orange & Blue back on top.
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\nSandford recorded the first two outs of bottom-six before passing the baton to two-way star Caden McDonald<\/a> for the final out of the frame. McDonald remained on the bump in the seventh and retired the LSU side in order to hold the score.
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\nIn the top of the eighth, Kurland and Yost connected for back-to-back jacks to give both Gators multi-homer games. Surowiec tacked on an RBI single to center with two outs for his fourth knock, pushing the Florida advantage to 9-4.
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\nLSU came roaring back in the bottom of the eighth, putting up a four-spot to make it a one-run game at 9-8. Steven Milam, Arrambide and Braun delivered RBI singles, with Braun’s hit plating two Tigers.
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\nFlorida staked a major insurance claim in the top of the ninth, erupting for six more runs to put the contest out of reach at 15-8. Bowen scampered home for the first run on a wild pitch while Yost followed with his third home run of the day \u2013 a two-run shot to right field. Later in the frame, McDonald drove home two more runs on a double to left field to conclude the scoring for Florida.
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\nThe Tigers added a two-out, three-run home run from Milam in the home half of the ninth, bringing the score to its final tally of 15-11. UF reliever Cooper Walls<\/a> was credited with his first save of the season.
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\nSandford (2-0) earned his first-career SEC win behind 1 1\/3 scoreless, no-hit innings. He walked two and fanned one Tiger.
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\nTiger reliever Grant Fontenot (0-2) was saddled with the loss after giving up two earned runs on three hits over 2 1\/3 frames. The senior righty struck out three against zero walks.
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\nSandefer did not factor into the decision, pitching 4 1\/3 innings of three-run ball on six hits and two walks. He struck out four.
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\nLSU starter Zac Cowan was gifted a no-decision despite surrendering four earned runs on seven hits in three-plus innings. The senior right-hander fanned four and did not issue a walk.<\/p>\n

NOTABLES
\n \n<\/p>\n


\n\tFlorida tallied a season-high 18 hits while scoring its most runs in SEC play this season (15).
\n\tThe Gators won eight of their last nine games to close out the regular season while outscoring opponents, 89-41.
\n\tFlorida has won a program-record, five-straight games against LSU \u2013 all of which occurred at Alex Box Stadium dating back to 2024.
\n\tFlorida scored double-digit runs in all three-games against LSU for 37 total runs in the series.
\n\t
\n\t\tThe Gators outscored the Tigers, 37-20.
\n\t
\n\t
\n\tThe Gators have now won 12 of their last 16 SEC series dating back to last season, going 32-16 across 48 SEC contests in that span.
\n\tFlorida finished the regular season at 23-12 against unranked teams this season on top of being a nation-best 14-6 against ranked opponents and repping the second-most Quad 1 wins in the country (15).
\n\tThe Gators posted at least 15 hits in an SEC game for the third time this season.
\n\tKurland swatted his fourth homer of the season to open the scoring in the top of the third.
\n\tYost drilled his seventh home run of the campaign to give Florida a 6-4 lead in the sixth.
\n\tSurowiec registered his team-high 20th multi-hit effort including his fourth three-hit game and second four-hit contest, finishing 4-for-5 with three RBI, one run and one walk.
\n\tKurland and Yost connected for back-to-back jacks in the eighth inning to increase their season home run totals to five and eight, respectively.
\n\t
\n\t
\n\tKurland notched his first multi-homer effort of the season while Yost logged his second (April 12 at Georgia).
\n\tYost later smashed his third long ball of the game to become the first Gator with a three-homer contest since Bobby Boser<\/a> vs. Stetson on April 15, 2025.
\n\tYost finished 4-for-5 with a career-high three home runs, five RBI and four hits.
\n\t
\n\t\tYost’s five RBI and four hits marked season highs and tied his career high.
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\n\t
\n\tSanford earned his first-career SEC win on the mound.
\n\tWalls picked up his first-career save.
\n\tFlorida launched five home runs to finish with 10 big flies in the series.
\n\tMcDonald has reached base safely in all 13 games since being inserted into the starting lineup on April 24 vs. Texas A&M.
\n\tLSU used eight pitchers in the series finale.
\n\tFlorida has won 54 of its last 77 regular-season games dating back to last season.
\n\tThe Gators are now 58-69-1 all-time and 20-32-1 in Baton Rouge against LSU.
\n\tFlorida is 29-22 overall and 12-12 on the road vs. the Tigers under Head Coach Kevin O’Sullivan<\/a>.
\n\tSaturday’s official attendance was 11,036. <\/p>\n

\u00a0
\nFROM HEAD COACH KEVIN O’SULLIVAN
\nOn the offense coming through to secure the road series sweep\u2026
\n“It really did.\u00a0You know we needed that to happen\u00a0because\u00a0of the way we pitched. We darn near lost this one today because of how we pitched out of the pen on Thursday, and I went into the game today, and there was no way we were gonna use Josh [Whritenour]. There’s no way we were gonna use Ernie [Lugo-Canchola] and [Jackson Barberi<\/a>] already threw. We talked about it yesterday before the game. We need some of these guys to step up and help us out of the pen. We were extremely fortunate today because of the way we swung the bats.”
\n\u00a0
\nOn Yost’s career performance\u2026
\n“I couldn’t be happier for him. He had three home runs right, and Cade had two, so when you can get that type of production from your eight- and nine-hole hitters, obviously, that thing we talked about all along is we’ve got some length in the lineup. Really pleased with how we swung the bat today.”
\n\u00a0
\nOn the length of the UF lineup\u2026
\n“We’ve got some question marks. We won a series without having Kyle [Jones] in centerfield, and honestly, Yost’s swinging the bat good. Stripling can see the ball good. Cash Strayer<\/a>, you know, his big home run last night. So we’re about 10-11 deep now, offensively. We got some other thinking to do.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

ON DECK

\nFlorida’s next game will come at the 2026 SEC Baseball Tournament in Hoover, Ala. Receiving a bye into the second round as the No. 5 seed, the Gators take on the winner of No. 12 seed Vanderbilt vs. No. 13 seed Kentucky on Wednesday, May 20 in the second game of the day at the Hoover Met.

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