GAINESVILLE, Fla. – No. 13 Florida scored in five of seven frames to post its second run-rule victory in as many days with a 14-4 win over Florida A&M at Condron Family Ballpark on Wednesday night.
 
Back in the lineup after a two-game absence, Blake Cyr went a perfect 3-for-3 highlighted by one homer and a season-high six RBI on top of two runs scored. Notching his second-straight, three-hit game, Colby Shelton (3-for-4) drilled a trio of doubles to finish with a team-high four runs as well as two RBI. Shelton currently leads the SEC with 13 doubles this season.
 
On the pitching end, the Florida bullpen was lights out. Right-hander Caden McDonald and lefty McCall Biemiller teamed up for 5 2/3 shutout innings of relief. McDonald was particularly brilliant, chucking a career-high 4 2/3 scoreless frames and seven strikeouts while allowing just two hits and one walk to earn the victory.
 
After a zero featuring two strikeouts from starter Matthew Jenkins in the first inning, the Gators (18-5) promptly jumped out to a 3-0 lead over the Rattlers (9-12) in the home half. Justin Nadeau and Bobby Boser set the table with a walk and hit-by-pitch, as Shelton delivered with an RBI double down the right-field line to open the scoring. Cyr followed with a sacrifice fly to center to plate Boser while Brendan Lawson drove in Shelton with an RBI groundout to the pitcher.
 

Florida A&M answered in a major way to steal a 4-3 edge in the second. Caden Slappey swatted a two-run shot to right for the first jab, followed by based-loaded walks of Broedy Poppell and Jay Campbell to force home the other two runs.
 

After working the Gators out of the bases-loaded jam in the second, McDonald pitched a clean third for the Orange & Blue.
 
In the bottom of the third, Florida erupted for five runs to roar back in front, 8-4. Lawson drove in Boser on a sacrifice fly to right while Brody Donay barreled a two-run double down the left-field line for the frame’s big blow. Ty Evans then produced an RBI groundout to second while Donay raced home on a wild pitch for the fifth tally.
 
McDonald fired another clean frame in the fourth, giving way to the UF offense to add a run. Shelton produced his second double with a laser down the left-field line, then scored on a single up the middle by Cyr to make it 9-4.
 
McDonald returned to register his third-consecutive zero in the fifth, increasing his strikeout total to six in the process. The righty navigated around a one-out single in the sixth while fanning a seventh batter to hold the Rattlers in check yet again.
 
In the home half of the sixth, Boser and Shelton opened with back-to-back doubles to take the Gators to double-digit runs. Cyr then uncorked a two-run shot to left field to push the Florida lead to 12-4.
 
Biemiller relieved McDonald at the onset of the seventh. The rookie struck out the side in order on just 14 pitches.
 
Florida called game in the bottom of the seventh, loading the bases on a pinch-hit single by Ashton Wilson, trailed by walk of Nadeau and a Boser infield knock to third base. With one man down, Cyr singled to center to plate both Wilson and Nadeau, ending the game via the run rule at 14-4.
 
McDonald improved to 2-0 behind 4 2/3 shutout innings of relief. The redshirt freshman concluded with seven strikeouts against one walk while surrendering just two hits.
 
Rattlers reliever Ryan Young dropped to 0-1 after coughing up five earned runs over 1 2/3 frames. Young was charged with one hit and four walks.
 
Jenkins did not factor into the decision, allowing four earned runs on four hits and three walks across 1 1/3 innings. He struck out three.
 
FAMU starting pitcher Zach Sigmon also received a no-decision, throwing one-plus frame of three-run ball on one hit, one walk and one strikeout.
 
NOTABLES

• The Gators scored 30 combined runs in 13 offensive innings during its two-game midweek slate.
• Florida improved to 15-1 at home this season.
• The Gators won their seventh game via the run rule, including their second in a row.
• Florida scored its first eight runs on two hits.
• McDonald recorded a career-high 4 2/3 innings pitched and seven strikeouts to earn his second win.
• Shelton hit his 11th, 12th and 13th doubles of the season, which leads the SEC.
• Shelton tallied his team-leading 13th multi-hit game and third three-hit performance, and has now logged three knocks in consecutive contests.
• Cyr smacked his fourth homer of the season and finished with a season-high six RBI.

  • He also had his first three-hit game as a Gator.

• Nine Gators scored or drove in a run.
• Biemiller struck out the side in order in the top of the seventh.
• Shelton has reached base safely in all 23 games this season.
• Florida pitchers have recorded a 257-to-72 strikeout-to-walk ratio through 23 games.
• Florida improved to 32-1 all-time against Florida A&M, all of which have been at home.
  
• Wednesday night’s official attendance was 6,467.

 
FROM HEAD COACH KEVIN O’SULLIVAN
On McDonald and Biemiller out of the pen…
“Obviously, [Biemiller] had a good inning and we would have gotten Gomberg out there, too, if we had played a full nine. Thought he was good, and Caden kind of grabbed a hold of the game, kind of settled things down. Threw nothing but strikes, his tempo was outstanding. He was really good tonight.”
 
On Cyr making an impact in his return to the lineup…
“I thought at Florida State, against really good arms, he was seeing the ball really well. And then we went into the Tennessee series, that was kind of why we moved him up the line up to the clean-up spot. Obviously, tonight was a really good night for him. It was good to get Boser going, too. I think the ball he hit hard to right-center field, I think was caught, you could tell he was staying on the ball a lot better. Obviously, the next at bat he got a hit. Then there’s Colby Shelton, who’s hitting .421 now, went the other way again tonight, really a big-time approach against everything. Just really good offensively.”

On the importance of two run-rule wins in a five-game week…

“Certainly, it helps because you want to have your arms fresh. Obviously, a team like this or last night, you don’t want to use McNeillie or Philpott, give them some time to rest so that way we can extend them through the weekend and use them a little bit more.”

UP NEXT

The Gators host No. 4 Georgia in their SEC home opener on Friday at 6:30 p.m. on SEC Network+. The series spans from Friday, March 21 through Sunday, March 23.