AUSTIN, Texas – Powered by a six-run first inning, Florida delivered an 8-2 statement win over No. 1 Texas in the first-ever, regular-season meeting between the two programs at UFCU Disch-Falk Field on Friday night.
 
The opening victory gives the Gators (34-17, 12-13 SEC) wins in 14 of their last 17 games including 11 of their last 13 in SEC play. Reigning SEC Player of the Week Hayden Yost (3-for-4) stayed scorching hot, tallying three hits and three RBI while scoring a pair of runs. Justin Nadeau (2-for-4) and Ty Evans (2-for-5) also had multi-hit days, as the former drove in three runs and the latter swatted two doubles and scored twice.
 
Florida pitching held steady from start to finish, with starter Pierce Coppola setting the tone by twirling two shutout innings. The UF bullpen followed with seven frames of one-run ball (zero earned runs), striking out 13 against just three free passes.
 

The Orange & Blue wasted no time jumping out to a big lead against the Longhorns (39-9, 19-6 SEC) in game one, erupting for six runs in the top half of the first. Bobby Boser and Luke Heyman set the table with a walk and single, followed by an RBI double to right-center by Evans. A wild pitch then allowed Heyman to scamper home safely and Yost produced a two-run single through the right side. Nadeau capped off the outburst with a two-run single to left to push the score to 6-0.
 
Coppola struck out two while stranding the bases loaded in the bottom half of the frame to maintain the momentum. The southpaw returned to the bump and fired another zero in the second to complete two scoreless.
 
In the top of the third, Yost drilled a leadoff double to right and then came home on a one-out, RBI double down the right-field line by Nadeau. That pushed the tally to 7-0 in favor of the Gators, but Texas got the run right back in the bottom half on a two-out triple to left field from Adrian Rodriguez to plate Kimble Schuessler.
 
The Gators struck again in the top of the fourth, beginning with a one-out double down the left-field line off the bat of Evans. After advancing to third on a groundout to shortstop, Evans was driven in by Yost on a two-out knock to center field for the latter’s third hit and RBI of the night.
 
UF reliever Billy Barlow worked a clean frame with one strikeout in the home half of the fourth to hold the score at 8-1. The senior right-hander proceeded to fan the side in the fifth to reach five strikeouts through three frames of relief.
 
Following a third-straight scoreless inning, Barlow was lifted in favor of freshman Jackson Barberi to begin the bottom of the seventh. With one out and two on, right-hander Luke McNeillie entered and recorded two quick outs to eliminate the threat.
 
Texas scratched across a late run in the eighth on an RBI infield single by Casey Borba, bringing the score to its final tally o 8-2. Right-handed reliever Christian Rodriguez put the finishing touches on the upset victory with a scoreless ninth inning, striking out each of the contest’s final two batters.
 
Coppola improved to 3-0 in a controlled start, throwing two shutout innings with two hits allowed, zero walks and three strikeouts.
 
Texas starter Ruger Riojas (8-3) received the loss. He was lit up for six earned runs on three hits and four walks in one-third of an inning, striking out one batter.
 
NOTABLES

• The Gators have won 14 of their last 17 games including 11 of 13 in SEC play.
• Florida handed Texas its fourth home loss of the campaign (24-4) and second in SEC action.
• Florida scored six runs in the top of the first – tied for the most allowed by the Longhorns in any inning this season and tied for UF’s most runs in the first inning this year (April 11 vs. Missouri).
• Coppola pitched two shutout innings in a controlled start to improve to 3-0 while lowering his ERA to 1.15.
• Yost drove in three runs for the third time in the last four contests.
• Yost produced his second three-hit game in the last four games.
• Nadeau also totaled three RBI in a 2-for-4 night.
• Evans went 2-for-3 with two doubles, two runs and one RBI.
• Barlow tossed 4.0 relief frames of one-run ball on two hits, one walk and a season-high six strikeouts.
• Rodriguez struck out three in a scoreless ninth inning.
• Florida is now 3-2 all-time against Texas while improving to 1-0 in Austin.

  • The Gators are 3-0 overall and 1-0 on the road in the series under O’Sullivan.
  • Friday night’s game was the first-ever, regular-season meeting between the Gators and Longhorns.

• Friday night’s official attendance was 7,149.

FROM HEAD COACH KEVIN O’SULLIVAN
On the hot start in Florida’s first game ever at Texas…
“It’s a nine-inning game. Obviously, we got off to a really good start offensively and scored six runs in the first. I think that probably settled our nerves a little bit. And then, our pitching was really good. It was great to get Pierce back out there again and I thought Billy Barlow was outstanding in his four innings. Overall, I think we struck out 16 and walked three. When you do that, you give yourself a chance to win every night. The one stat that sticks out is we threw 72% first-pitch strikes tonight. They kept pounding the zone. Not a great night to hit. The wind was swirling around and blowing in, so the ball wasn’t really carrying. You just got to throw strikes, and they did that tonight.”
 
On the impact of Barlow and the pen settling the game down with strikes…
“We’ve put ourselves in the position of being 1-11 [in the SEC] because we weren’t throwing strikes. So, it’s gratifying for all the coaches that we’re starting to turn the corner on the pitching side of things, because offensively, we’ve been good, for the most part, the entire year.”

UP NEXT

The Gators and Longhorns face off in game two on Saturday, scheduled for 2 p.m. ET on SEC Network+.