GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida rode a pair of shutdown pitching performances to a doubleheader sweep of University of Missouri baseball, posting a 5-0 shutout victory in the first game, before completing the sweep of the two clubs’ Southeastern Conference series with a walk-off, 3-2 decision in the nightcap Saturday evening at Condron Family Ballpark.
After Aidan King and Jake Clemente pitched the Gators to the game one shutout, Brendan Lawson wrapped up sweep for the Gators (24-14, 4-11 SEC) with a one-out, walk-off single in the bottom of seventh in the second contest.
The Tigers (12-23, 0-15 SEC) battled back from a late deficit in game two, getting a leadoff home run in the sixth inning from Cayden Nicoletto to pull even at 2-2. The Mizzou tandem of Tony Neubeck and Xavier Lovett combined to limit the Gators to just two runs on two hits over the first six innings.
But a hit batsman to open the seventh gave the Gators new life, before a Justin Nadeau double handed them a pair of runners in scoring position with nobody out. Lovett (1-2) induced a bouncer to third for the first out, then issued an intentional walk to Colby Shelton to load the bases. Lawson delivered on the first pitch he saw, lining the game-winning single to right field.
The Tigers plated both of their runs via the long ball, taking a 1-0 lead in the second on Pierre Seals’ fourth home run as a Tiger to lead off the inning. Florida answered with a two-run shot from Blake Cyr in the fourth to seize a 2-1 advantage. Gators starter Luke McNeillie and reliever Alex Philpott (1-3) held the Tigers in check until Nicoletto belted the first pitch he saw from Philpott out of the park to even the score in the sixth.
Lovett allowed just three hits over his 4.0 innings, striking out four and walking six, after Neubeck turned in his best outing of the season to open the contest. The left-hander permitted just one hit and one walk while fanning two Gators over 2 1/3 scoreless innings.
Game one featured a pitcher’s duel, with King combining with Clemente on a four-hit shutout to secure the series win. King (4-1) struck out seven while allowing just one walk and four Mizzou singles, before Clemente recorded the final four outs of the contest.
The Gators scored single runs in the third and fourth innings to take control of the game, then broke the game open with a three-run sixth. Bobby Boser led the Florida offense with a 3-for-4 effort that included a critical two-run single in the sixth, as well as two of the Gators’ three stolen bases in the contest.
Mizzou starting pitcher Kaden Jacobi nearly matched King’s performance, turning in a career-best 5 1/3 innings over which he scattered five hits and allowed three earned runs. The right-hander worked around leadoff baserunners in each of the first two innings, receiving a lift from Mateo Serna, who cut down a pair of Florida baserunners attempting to steal, including one in the second following a walk to start the inning.
But the Gators wouldn’t be denied in the third, as Jacobi hit Ashton Wilson with a pitch to start another scoring opportunity for the home club. Boser delivered his second hit of the game, before Shelton plated the first run of the game with an RBI-single to right.
Jacobi rebounded to induced an inning-ending 6-3 double play, but another hit by pitch the following inning opened the door for another Gators rally. This time, Brody Donay lined a run-scoring triple to left to chase Cyr all the way home from first for a 2-0 Florida lead.
The Tigers would put a runner on base in each of the final four frames, but King and Clemente had a remedy each time. Chris Patterson led off the fifth with a base hit, giving Mizzou its best chance to score since the second inning. But King coaxed a pop-up and a fly ball to left, before giving way to Clemente, who struck out Keegan Knutson for the final out of the inning.
Mizzou drew two-out walks in both the sixth and seventh innings, but once again Clemente kept the Tigers off the scoreboard by retiring the next batter to end each threat.
TIGER NOTEBOOK
- Knutson saw his career-best six-game hit streak come to an end in the opener, finishing 0-for-3.
- Jacobi’s 5 1/3 innings in the opener matched the longest of his Mizzou career (Feb. 25, 2025 vs. Lindenwood).
- Neubeck worked 2.1 scoreless innings for his first scoreless outing since a March 19, 2023 effort vs. Tennessee.
- Patterson logged hits in each contest Saturday to extend his career-best hit streak to six games.
- The Tigers’ catching tandem of Serna and Jedier Hernandez combined to cut down three would-be base-stealers in the doubleheader; they now have combined to throw out 13 baserunners on the season.
- Missouri drops to 8-34 all-time vs. Florida, including a 1-22 record against the Gators in Gainesville.
UP NEXT
The Tigers return to Columbia to open a four-game home stand Tuesday with a 6 p.m. non-conference matchup against Missouri State.
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