GAINESVILLE, Fla. – No. 23 Florida scored in four-straight frames from the fourth through the seventh to erase a 5-0 deficit and take down No. 18 Alabama by a final score of 7-6 at Condron Family Ballpark on Thursday night.
 
Posting their largest comeback victory in over two years, the Gators (36-18, 14-14 SEC) quickly fell behind by five runs through the first three innings before roaring to life in the middle frames. Securing its 15th game of the season in come-from-behind fashion, Florida is now at .500 in league play for the first time after rattling off wins in 13 of its last 16 SEC contests and 16 of 20 overall.
 
Bobby Boser (2-for-4) and Ty Evans (2-for-3) each chipped in a pair of hits, one run and one RBI highlighted by a clutch double from the latter. Brody Donay (2-for-4) also produced a multi-hit game and slugged a game-winning, two-run homer in the seventh to finish with a team-high three RBI. Their offensive contributions were aided by four innings of one-run relief (zero earned) from righties Luke McNeillie and Jake Clemente – who earned his seventh save of the year.
 
The Crimson Tide (39-14, 15-13 SEC) put a pair of runs on the Gators in the top of the first, as Richie Bonomolo Jr. connected for a two-out, two-run homer to left to open a 2-0 lead. Florida ace Liam Peterson settled down for a clean frame in the second before Alabama tacked on three more runs in the third on a two-run homer to left-center by Justin Lebron and RBI single to left from Jason Torres.
 
Trailing 5-0, Florida broke through in the fourth to cut its deficit to four runs. Landon Stripling was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, advanced to second on a single by Evans and moved to third on a flyout to center off the bat of Blake Cyr. With one out, Stripling scampered home on a wild pitch to Donay for the first Gator run of the night.
 
After a second-straight zero from Peterson in the top of the fifth, the Gators drew within one run with a three-spot in the home half. All coming with two outs, Stripling drove home Boser on an RBI single through the right side while Evans doubled to left-center to plate Brendan Lawson. Donay then legged out an infield single to third base to score Stripling, making it a 5-4 ballgame after five frames.
 
With Peterson’s outing done at the end of five, the Crimson Tide got one run back with two outs in the sixth. Will Plattner reached on a throwing error at third base as Will Hodo crossed home for an unearned run to make it 6-4.
 
Scoring for the third-straight frame, the Gators received a one-out double to left from Blake Brookins in the bottom of the sixth. Boser promptly drove him in with an RBI single to center on the second pitch of his at bat, bringing Florida back within one at 6-5.
 

McNeillie tossed a clean seventh inning, opening the door for Florida to take its first lead of the night in the home half. Following a leadoff walk by Evans, Donay uncorked a go-ahead, opposite-field shot to right field to put the Orange & Blue in front, 7-6.
 
Clemente stranded two baserunners in the eighth to hold the one-run advantage, then worked a one-two-three ninth to cement the win with minimal drama. The UF closer threw two shutout, no-hit innings with one walk and two strikeouts to register his seventh save of the campaign.
 
McNeillie (5-2) earned the victory behind two innings of one-run relief (zero earned). The right-hander gave up one hit and one walk while striking out four.
 
Crimson Tide reliever JT Blackwood dropped to 2-2 after surrendering one earned run on one hit and one walk in two frames. He struck out two.
 
Peterson was handed a no-decision. The sophomore right-hander allowed five earned runs on five hits and two walks across five innings, striking out four batters.
 
Alabama starter Tyler Fay did not factor into the decision, lasting 4 2/3 frames with four runs allowed (one earned) on four hits. He did not issue a walk and fanned four.
 
NOTABLES

• Head Coach Kevin O’Sullivan won his 500th-career home game (500-151, .768).
• The Gators have won 16 of their last 20 games including 13 of 16 in SEC play.
• Florida is at .500 in SEC play (14-14) for the first time this season after starting 1-11.
• The Gators delivered their 15th comeback win of the season, featuring their eighth in the last 20 games alone.

  • Florida’s five-run comeback marked the team’s largest in over two years, since overcoming a five-run deficit (8-3) against Auburn on April 2, 2023 (W, 17-8).

• Florida has won nine of its last 11 home games.
• Brookins recorded his first-career hit with a one-out double in the sixth and came around to score his first run on a Boser single.
• Donay smacked his team-leading 15th home run of the season to give Florida a 7-6 lead in the eighth.
• Clemente logged his seventh save of the season, all of which have come in the last 20 games.
• Florida is now 71-59 all-time against Alabama including 36-19 in Gainesville.

  • The Gators are 30-7 overall and 14-2 at home in the series under O’Sullivan.
  • Florida has won 17 of the last 19 and 24 of the previous 27 against Alabama.

• Thursday night’s official attendance was 5,881.

FROM HEAD COACH KEVIN O’SULLIVAN
On tonight’s pitching…
“It was really important, [Peterson] battled. In all fairness to him, last three weeks or so, two weeks, it’s probably been frustrating for him. Started South Carolina, throws five pitches or so, comes back on Sunday and starts, and then his start against Texas gets shortened up to four innings. I thought he battled. Obviously, he may not have had his best stuff or location today, but he battled and every run counts. He put up two zeros in the fourth and the fifth and I’ve got no complaints about his start. He battled and he kept us in it… They got a really good lineup. McNeillie came in and obviously we lost the one ball in the twilight, but he pitched great. Without his performance we’re probably not standing here with a win. And then Jake bounced back from last weekend and threw 29 pitches over two…”
 
On overcoming adversity…
“You know, we’re already down players and we could have easily hung our heads. But I think honestly, without giving it much thought yet, starting out 1-11 and going through that adversity probably is helping us right now. Obviously, the injuries are mounting, but with that being said, Strip gets a hit tonight and then Brookins comes off the bench and gets a double. It’s just one of those things, but what can you say? I’m awfully proud of the team, the way they battled. Like I said, they could have easily just thrown in the towel, but they continued to persevere through it.”
 
On whether he saw this turnaround coming…
“I think if you go back to my post-games, I think I was pretty consistent with what my message was for the team: that we are going to turn this thing around. Now to sit here and say we would be 14-14 with two games left, I don’t know about that, but I did truly believe that we’re going to turn this thing around. And the players have to go out and play, but our staff deserves a ton of credit, everybody involved. No one started pointing fingers, we stayed together and it turned out to be a heck of a story.”

UP NEXT

The Gators and Crimson Tide meet again in game two on Friday night, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on SEC Network+. Southpaw Pierce Coppola (3-0, 1.15 ERA) gets the ball for the Orange & Blue against Alabama’s Riley Quick (7-2, 3.53 ERA).