Gators Slug Past Trojans in Pensacola

Saturday, October 24

Pensacola, Fla.

2 PM

Florida Gators

Troy

Nic Partridge (6) celebrates at home plate with Drew Dickerson (3) after his game-tying homer in the second inning at Blue Wahoos Stadium on Saturday. / UAA Communications photo by Ethan Caruso

Saturday, October 24, 2026 | Baseball

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Florida erased an early deficit in the second inning and never trailed after taking the lead in the third.

By: Sullivan Bortner

PENSACOLA, Fla. – Florida used an 18-hit attack to defeat Troy, 15-5, in an 11-inning exhibition contest in front of 4,181 fans at Blue Wahoos Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Playing in a rematch of the 2026 Gainesville Regional Final, the Gators trailed the Trojans by one run early, but answered with 14 runs before Troy scored again to take a commanding 14-1 lead after six. The bulk of the damage came in an eight-run sixth inning, headlined by a three-run home run from Brendan Lawson (3-for-4), who finished a triple shy of the cycle with a team-high four RBI and three runs scored.

Nic Partridge (2-for-5) and Colton Schwarz (1-for-1) also left the yard in the barrage, with the former driving in two and scoring two. Ethan Surowiec (3-for-4) joined Lawson with a three-hit effort while tallying three RBI.

On the mound, Trey Morris, Jackson Barberi, Joshua Whritenour and Caden McDonald all logged scoreless relief outings. Morris and Barberi tossed three shutout frames apiece for a combined six innings of one-hit ball.

Florida ace Aidan King got right to work in the top of the first, fanning leadoff man Payton Knowles and three-hitter Layne Akers to retire the side in order on 11 pitches. UF second baseman Kyle McDaniel started off the home half with a single back up the middle, but the Gators stranded one in a scoreless first.

In the second, the Trojans opened the scoring with one out on an RBI single to center field from Ty McGraw. King limited the damage to one run, stranding a pair with his fourth strikeout and an inning-ending fielder's choice to shortstop. The Gators responded promptly in the bottom of the frame, as Partridge powered a solo home run to right-center field for a brand-new ballgame at 1-1.

Taking over for King at the onset of the third, Morris chucked a clean inning capped off by a strikeout of Akers. That paved the way for the Orange & Blue to take its first lead in bottom-three, as Caden Davidson worked a leadoff walk and scored thanks to back-to-back singles by Tyler Ellis and Jaden Bastian. With two men down, Lawson legged out an infield single to plate Ellis and later came home on an RBI single to center from Surowiec for a 4-1 UF edge after three.

Morris dispatched of the Troy side by working around a two-out knock in the fourth, then navigated around a one-out walk in the fifth to complete three shutout innings of relief. Barberi picked up where his teammate left off in the top of the sixth, setting down the Troy lineup in order on just 12 pitches punctuated by a strikeout of Caden Reeves. The UF offense would take over from there, erupting for an eight-spot in the half inning to follow.

Leading off the home half of the sixth, Bastian lined a 3-2 pitch for a single to left and advanced to second on a wild pitch. After a walk to McDaniel, Lawson hammered a 1-2 offering for a mammoth three-run blast over the right-center wall. Surowiec and McDonald followed with singles to set the table for Jon Embury and Partridge, who produced RBI singles to extend the Gator advantage to 9-1. That prompted a Troy pitching change with no outs in the inning, but the Gators added three more runs before it was said and done to move the tally to 12-1. Brady Harris reached on a fielder's choice to shortstop, as both Embury and Partridge came home due to a throwing error by second baseman Kam Jenkins. Ellis put the finishing touch on the outburst with an RBI single to right to plate Harris.

Barberi held the momentum by rolling right through the top of the seventh on six pitches. Coming out of stretch time, McDaniel led off with a walk, Lawson doubled down the left-field line and Surowiec cashed in with a two-run single to center.

Pitching with a 14-1 lead, Barberi continued to roll by striking out two more Trojans en route to a scoreless eighth inning. Troy scored three runs upon his removal in the ninth, as Jimmy Janicki (solo) and McGraw (two-run) connected for home runs to cut the Florida lead to 14-4. Whritenour was called on to settle things down, which he did in style by striking out all three Trojans he faced on 13 pitches.

Janicki got another run back for the Trojans in the top of the eighth, racing around the bases for an ins-de-the-park home run on a drive to right-center field. The Gators slugged right back in the home half, as Schwarz swatted a solo homer to right to make it a 15-5 ballgame.

Florida called on McDonald to close it out in the 11th and the two-way star swiftly logged three-straight outs, concluding with a strikeout of Hudson Reed to secure the victory.

Morris earned the win behind three scoreless relief frames, surrendering just one hit and one walk while fanning two Trojans.

Trojan reliever Noah Marschke suffered the loss after giving up three earned runs on four hits and one walk in two innings. The left-hander struck out one.

King did not factor into the decision in his second fall start in as many games. The junior right-hander allowed one run on three hits, zero walks and four strikeouts.

Troy starter Preston Watkins also received a no-decision, pitching two innings with one earned run allowed on two hits. The senior right-hander fanned four.

NOTABLES

Florida has homered eight times and scored 25 runs in two fall exhibition games.
The Gators have scored double-digit runs in both fall contests.
Florida has played 20 innings without committing an error this fall.
UF pitching combined for 11.0 innings with seven hits allowed, three walks and 16 strikeouts.
King has now pitched 3.0 innings in two games this fall, allowing one run with six strikeouts and zero walks.
Partridge opened the scoring for UF with his first homer of the fall in the second inning.
Morris pitched 3.0 shutout, one-hit innings of relief with two strikeouts to one walk.
Lawson crushed a three-run home run to extend the UF lead to 7-1 in the sixth.
Florida plated eight runs on seven hits in the sixth inning.
Lawson finished a triple shy of the cycle, going 3-for-4 with one homer, one double and a team-high four RBI and three runs scored.
Surowiec finished 3-for-4 with three RBI and one run scored.
Barberi pitched 3.0 shutout, no-hit innings with four strikeouts to one walk.
Whritenour struck out all three batters he faced in the ninth inning.
Schwarz launched a solo home run – his first of the fall – in the tenth inning.
McDonald pitched a clean 11th inning to close out the game.
Surowiec is now 5-for-7 with two home runs, six RBI and one walk in two fall games.
Four Gators (Morris, Barberi, Whritenour, McDonald) logged scoreless outings.
The Gators have won 10-straight fall ball exhibitions since 2022.
Saturday's official attendance was 4,181.

ON DECK
The Gators return home for their remaining three fall exhibition games, beginning with a tilt against the Ontario Blue Jays, a Canadian amateur team, on Wednesday, Oct. 28 at 5:30 p.m. Florida is also set to host Mercer on Sunday, Nov. 1 at 2 p.m. and Air Force on Sunday, Nov. 8 at 11 a.m. All three games at Condron Family Ballpark are free to attend for all fans.