Florida Pitching Shines in Victory Over Mercer

Sunday, November 1

Gainesville, Fla.

12 PM

Florida Gators

Mercer

Trey Morris delivers a pitch on his way to two scoreless, no-hit innings against the Bears. / UAA Communications photo by Senay Kennon

Sunday, November 1, 2026 | Baseball

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UF hurlers threw 11 1/3 innings and allowed four hits and five walks while striking out 15 batters.

By: Sullivan Bortner

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida maintained its undefeated fall season with a victory over Mercer by a combined score of 9-3 across 11-plus innings of exhibition play at Condron Family Ballpark on Sunday afternoon.

Improving to 4-0 in exhibition games this fall, the Gators and Bears were scheduled for 12 innings split across two six-inning sessions – but inclement weather prematurely ended the matchup with one out in the top of the 12th. UF pitching combined to allow just three runs on four hits while striking out 15 against five walks. Seven Gators provided scoreless outings as Mercer plated runs in just two separate frames, led by two shutout, no-hit innings from each of Schuyler Sandford, Jackson Barberi and Trey Morris.

The Florida bats provided more than enough offense, as Caden McDonald (1-for-3) bashed a three-run homer and freshman Brady Harris (1-for-1) launched a two-run shot to account for the bulk of the scoring. AJ Malzone (2-for-2) was the lone Gator to pick up multiple hits while Landon Stripling (1-for-2) drove in two runs.

Mercer took an early, 1-0 lead through the first inning of play. Logan Shepherd and Ty Dalley set the table with a hit-by-pitch and single while Jesus Vanegas plated the former on a deep sacrifice fly to left field.

Assuming pitching duties in the top of the second, right-hander Blaine Rowland worked a one-two-three frame to keep the Bears in check. Sandford followed suit in the third by retiring the side in order including a strikeout of Shepherd. Sandford plunked the leadoff man in the fourth but rebounded to fan the next three Bears in order to leave him stranded, finishing with four strikeouts and zero hits allowed.

Thanks to three-straight zeros on the mound, Florida stormed in front in the bottom of the fourth with a seven-spot. After reaching on an error, Drew Dickerson raced home for UF's first run on a fielder's choice to first base and subsequent throwing error off the bat of Brendan Lawson. Ethan Surowiec followed with a go-ahead, RBI single through the left side before McDonald stepped to the dish and delivered a towering three-run shot to left to break the frame open. Harris drilled a two-run, opposite field homer to right with two outs later in the inning, making it 7-1 in favor of Florida entering the fifth.

The hard-throwing Barberi blanked Mercer in the fifth and sixth to hold the momentum, highlighted by a clean frame in the latter. That brought the end to the first six-inning session between the new teams, with the Gators still on top, 7-1.

Starting off the second session on the mound, Morris chucked a perfect frame highlighted by two strikeouts. Morris fanned the first two batters he faced en route to another clean inning in the eighth, retiring all six batters he faced in order.

The two teams exchanged jabs in the ninth, beginning with a two-run single by pinch-hitter Kai Decker to cut the UF lead to 7-3. The Gators answered promptly, as Malzone and John Martinez singled and advanced on a wild pitch, allowing Stripling to push the tally to 9-3 with a two-run single to right field with two men down.

The two-way playing McDonald entered on the slab in the 10th, working around a two-out walk to hold the advantage. Reliever Joshua Whritenour also navigated around a two-out walk in the 11th to churn out a scoreless inning.

With two outs in the home half of the 11th, Malzone roped a line-drive single to right for his second hit in as many at bats. He was left stranded as rookie Ethan Wheeler trotted out to the mound to pitch the 12th and final frame for the Orange & Blue. Wheeler induced an inning-opening flyout to right field, but play was then halted due to weather conditions and did not resume.

Sandford was awarded the victory after firing two shutout, no-hit innings with four strikeouts to zero walks. Bears reliever Nicholas Ballard was saddled with the loss, surrendering seven runs (four earned) in two frames behind three hits allowed, two walks and one strikeout.

UF starter Aidan King did not factor into the decision, allowing one earned run in one inning on two hits. Mercer starting hurler Conner Strandmark was handed a no-decision as well despite tossing two scoreless, no-hit frames with one strikeout.

NOTABLES

Florida pitched a combined 11 1/3 innings vs. Mercer and allowed four hits and five walks while striking out 15 batters.
The Gators are 4-0 in exhibition games this fall, winning by a combined margin of 41-18.
Florida has homered 12 times and scored 41 runs in four fall exhibition games.
Florida has played 40 1/3 defensive innings with just one error.
Sandford pitched 2.0 shutout, no-hit innings with four strikeouts to zero walks.
The Gators scored seven runs on three hits in the fourth inning.
McDonald bashed his second homer of the fall in the fourth inning.
Harris connected for his first home run of the fall in the fourth.
Barberi pitched 2.0 scoreless, no-hit frames with four strikeouts to one walk.
Morris retired all six batters he faced while striking out four.
Barberi and Morris have both tossed five shutout frames apiece across their last two outings for a combined 10 innings of one-hit ball.
Barberi has pitched six scoreless innings with one hit allowed this fall.
Seven of nine UF pitchers (Rowland, Sandford, Barberi, Morris, McDonald, Whritenour, Wheeler) logged scoreless outings.
The Gators have won 12-straight fall ball exhibitions since 2022.
Florida and Mercer were scheduled for 12 innings but play was halted due to weather with one out in the top of the 12th and did not resume.

ON DECK
The Gators remain home for their final fall exhibition game against Air Force on Sunday, Nov. 8 at 11 a.m. All fall games at Condron Family Ballpark are free to attend for all fans.