STARKVILLE, Miss. – Despite tallying 13 hits and launching four long balls, Florida was outlasted against Mississippi State by a final score of 14-8 in the series finale at Dudy Noble Field on Sunday afternoon.
 
Although the loss snapped the Gators’ seven-game winning streak, Florida (27-15, 6-12 SEC) managed to win the first two matchups with the Bulldogs (24-16, 6-12 SEC) for its second-straight SEC series victory. The Gators have won five of their last six conference tilts and seven of eight games overall as they return home to face Georgia Southern (Tuesday) and Arkansas (Friday-Saturday).
 
Florida’s offense hit the ground running in the finale, as Bobby Boser was plunked to leadoff the game and Colby Shelton promptly cashed in with a two-run, opposite field homer to left to open a 2-0 lead. Luke Heyman drilled a one-out automatic double to center in the inning, but was left stranded on third base.
 
Unfortunately for the Gators, the Bulldogs also swung the bats well early. Following a one-out single by Sawyer Reeves, Ace Reese answered with a two-run shot to center to knot the score at two runs apiece.
 
Gators starting hurler Luke McNeillie encountered a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the second but buckled down to maintain the tie. The sophomore right-hander stranded all three runners by fanning Gehrig Frei and Reeves to record strikeouts for all six outs through two.
 
In the home half of the third, the Bulldogs’ offense came alive for five runs to take their first lead at 7-2. Reed Stallman drove home Reese on a sacrifice fly to deep center and Bryce Chance singled to left to plate Noah Sullivan. Joe Powell provided the big swing on a three-run homer to left-center.
 
Florida began clawing back in the top of the fourth. Hayden Yost singled to second, then advanced to third on a stolen base and wild pitch. Ashton Wilson drove Yost in on an RBI groundout to shortstop, reducing the UF deficit to 7-3.
 
Mississippi State went back up five in the home half, as Hunter Hines scampered home from third on a passed ball with two outs. In the fifth, the two teams traded blows to return the tally to a four-run contest at 9-5. Brendan Lawson hammered a little-league home run off the center field wall, tripling and scoring from third on a throwing error to come all the way around the bases on the play. Brody Donay then walloped an opposite-field homer down the right-field line, but the Bulldogs responded with a solo blast to left from Frei.
 
Scoreless sixth and seventh innings provided some time to breath in an otherwise hectic affair. Rookie southpaw McCall Biemiller produced a zero for Florida in the sixth, forcing Hines to hit into an inning-ending, 4-6-3 double play to face the minimum before combining with right-hander Billy Barlow for a shutout seventh.
 
The craziness ensued in the eighth. Yost worked a walk and Wilson walloped a two-run homer to left to road the Gators back to life. Justin Nadeau made it back-to-back jacks with a solo shot to right, bringing Florida within one run at 9-8.
 
Florida’s attempt at a comeback was made far more difficult when the Bulldogs put up another five-spot on the board in bottom-eight. Frei connected for his second homer of the game down the right-field line while Chance singled through the left side to score two. A two-run, Gatlin Sanders double to right-center pushed the MSU advantage to 14-8, which proved to be the final score as the Gators stranded two in the ninth.
 
McNeillie (3-2) was handed the loss after allowing seven earned runs in 2 2/3 innings. He UF righty finished with seven hits allowed, zero walks and six strikeouts.
 
MSU starting pitcher Karson Ligon (4-4) moved to .500 on the season, throwing five innings of five-run ball on eight hits, two walks and four strikeouts.
 
Lawson (2-for-5), Heyman (2-for-4), Donay (2-for-5), Yost (2-for-4) and Nadeau (2-for-3) recorded multiple hits in game three. Wilson finished 1-for-5 with a team-high three RBI.
 
NOTABLES

• Florida has won seven of its last eight games overall and five of its last six in SEC play.

  • The Gators had their five-game winning streaks at Dudy Noble field and in SEC play snapped.

• Eight UF starters collected hits.
• In the top of the first, Shelton went the other way for his seventh home run of the season.
• Yost stole his 11th base of the season in the fourth inning.
• Lawson recorded a “little-league home run” to lead off the fifth inning, tripling to center and scoring on a throwing error.
• Donay hit his 12th home run of the season in the fifth.
• Donay logged multiple hits in all three games to finish 8-for-15 in the series.
• Wilson and Nadeau hit their third homers of the season via back-to-back jacks in the eighth.
• Biemiller pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings of relief.
• Shelton has reached base safely in 42 of 43 games this season.
• Boser has reached base safely in 22-straight games.
• Florida improved to 74-53 all-time against Mississippi State including 32-26 in Starkville.

  • The Gators are 27-14 overall and 11-7 on the road vs. MSU under Head Coach O’Sullivan.

• Sunday’s official attendance was, 9,699.

FROM HEAD COACH KEVIN O’SULLIVAN
On rebound runs and battling all weekend…
“Yeah, we didn’t have any shutdown innings today which is really disappointing. Every time we scored, we turned around and gave up some runs. But you know, I was awfully proud of our team in general this weekend for battling offensively. That’s one of the best weekends we’ve had in an awfully long time. So, awfully proud of the way they battled.”
 
On the upcoming schedule and the team’s mindset…
“Georgia Southern is going to be very good. They’re good every year. But I think we built some confidence in our team and kept saying all along that we are going to get this thing turned around. And this certainly was a step in the right direction in a really tough environment, no doubt.”

UP NEXT

Florida returns home to host Georgia Southern on Tuesday at 6 p.m. on SEC Network+.