Friday, February 13
Gainesville, Fla.
6:30 PM
Florida Gators
0-1
7
vs
9
UAB
1-0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
R
H
E
UAB
2
0
3
0
0
0
0
2
0
2
9
6
2
Florida
2
0
1
0
0
0
4
0
0
0
7
10
3
The Gators hold a late-inning mound meeting in Friday night's game against UAB at Condron Ballpark. (Photo: Senay Kennon/UAA Communications)
No. 13 Gators Drop Season Opener to UAB in Extras
Friday, February 13, 2026 | Baseball
Brendan Lawson collected three hits and Ricky Reeth twirled 3 2/3 scoreless frames in his UF debut.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – No. 13 Florida came up short in a back-and-forth, 10-inning affair with UAB by a final score of 9-7 in front of an Opening Night crowd of 7,276 at Condron Family Ballpark on Friday night.
Brendan Lawson (3-for-4) and Kyle Jones (2-for-5) each chipped in multiple knocks including a double apiece, but it was not enough to overcome a three-error, eight-walk night for the Gators (0-1). Jones contributed one run and drove in two while Lawson finished with two runs and an RBI. With an outstanding performance in his UF debut, righty Ricky Reeth's 3 2/3 scoreless relief frames kept the Orange & Blue in it throughout the middle innings.
The Blazers (1-0) struck first after putting the first two batters of the game on via a walk and hit-by-pitch, allowing Landon Beaver to plate Kevin Hall Jr. with a sacrifice fly to right field after a double-steal. UAB tacked on a second run on a fielding error on a pop-up at first base that gave Brady Waugh the opportunity to scamper home safely.
The Gators promptly responded in bottom-one, as Jones led off with a double to left and then came home on a single to second base by Lawson, aided by a throwing error. Karson Bowen brought the score even at 2-2, plating Lawson on a single to left field.
UF starter Liam Peterson rebounded for a clean second frame, but ran into more trouble in the third. Alex Cheeseman produced a two-run single to right-center while Waugh drove in Beaver on a groundout to shortstop.
Trailing 5-2, the Orange & Blue got one run back in the third on a sacrifice fly by Bowen to score Lawson. The following half inning, Florida turned to Reeth out of the bullpen with one out and two runners in scoring position. Reeth successfully retired the next two batters to hold the score at 5-3.
Reeth fired scoreless innings in the fifth and the sixth while registering his first-two strikeouts in Orange & Blue. The transfer right-hander used a 4-6-3 twin killing en route to a shutout seventh. After 3 2/3 scoreless innings from Reeth, the UF offense broke through.
Chasing two runs, Ethan Surowiec and Blake Cyr set the table with a one-out hit-by-pitch and double to left, respectively. Landon Stripling cashed in with an RBI single to left followed by the big blow from Jones, who ripped a two-run single to right field to give Florida its first lead at 6-5. Lawson then used his second base hit of the day to plate Kendall on an RBI knock through the right side, capping off the four-run frame at a 7-5 tally.
Florida's only lead was short-lived, as UAB stormed back with two runs in the top of the eighth to tie it back up at 7-7. With two men down, Hall Jr. ripped a two-run single to right to knot the ballgame.
Right-hander Jackson Barberi held the score for the Gators into the bottom of the ninth by blanking the Blazers. Florida threatened in the home half thanks to a two-out double by Lawson, but he was left stranded in scoring position as the game went to extra innings.
UAB pushed across two runs in the 10th on a fielder's choice by Hall Jr. and an RBI groundout to third base from Alex Dupuy, giving the Blazers a 10-8 advantage. The Gators went down in order in the home half.
Blazers reliever Riley Miller (1-0) recorded the win behind three shutout innings of relief on two hits, one walk and one strikeout.
Barberi (0-1) received the loss, tossing the final 2 1/3 frames for Florida. The right-hander did not surrender a hit but gave up two runs (one earned) on two walks and four strikeouts.
Peterson did not factor into the decision, lasting 3 1/3 frames with five runs allowed (four earned) on three hits, five walks and three strikeouts.
UAB starter Mason Steele did not factor into the decision either after pitching five innings with three runs allowed (two earned) on four hits, one walk and five strikeouts.
NOTABLES
On Peterson's outing…
"Yeah, five walks obviously, in three and a third innings. That's not the Liam we expect to see or the Liam we usually see. He's been outstanding all preseason and wasn't as crisp tonight, but we know that he'll bounce back his next outing and we'll see the Liam we're used to seeing..."
On Reeth's relief performance…
"I told the team after the game, 'first of all, Ricky, hell of a job tonight', he kept us right there, kept us in the game, gave us a chance to battle back a couple different times. What a performance by him, he did a hell of a job."
On Jones' and Lawson's nights at the plate…
"They're both really gifted players and they're going to play long after they're Gators, both of them. I'm really pleased being around those guys every day and watching the way they work at their craft and it showed up tonight. It was a nice start to the season for both of them."
On Jacob Kendall earning an Opening Night start…
"He really had a great preseason. He probably led our team, I don't have the numbers in front of me, but I think he led our team in hitting throughout all of January and February and did a lot of damage as well. I thought he looked comfortable in his at bats tonight, he battled. We've got some good young players here and they're all going to get opportunities to play. Tonight was JK's."
UP NEXT
The Gators and Blazers face off again in a Saturday doubleheader. Game one of the twin bill is set for 2 p.m. while the series finale will begin 50 minutes after game one's conclusion. Both games will air on SEC Network+.
Brendan Lawson (3-for-4) and Kyle Jones (2-for-5) each chipped in multiple knocks including a double apiece, but it was not enough to overcome a three-error, eight-walk night for the Gators (0-1). Jones contributed one run and drove in two while Lawson finished with two runs and an RBI. With an outstanding performance in his UF debut, righty Ricky Reeth's 3 2/3 scoreless relief frames kept the Orange & Blue in it throughout the middle innings.
The Blazers (1-0) struck first after putting the first two batters of the game on via a walk and hit-by-pitch, allowing Landon Beaver to plate Kevin Hall Jr. with a sacrifice fly to right field after a double-steal. UAB tacked on a second run on a fielding error on a pop-up at first base that gave Brady Waugh the opportunity to scamper home safely.
The Gators promptly responded in bottom-one, as Jones led off with a double to left and then came home on a single to second base by Lawson, aided by a throwing error. Karson Bowen brought the score even at 2-2, plating Lawson on a single to left field.
UF starter Liam Peterson rebounded for a clean second frame, but ran into more trouble in the third. Alex Cheeseman produced a two-run single to right-center while Waugh drove in Beaver on a groundout to shortstop.
Trailing 5-2, the Orange & Blue got one run back in the third on a sacrifice fly by Bowen to score Lawson. The following half inning, Florida turned to Reeth out of the bullpen with one out and two runners in scoring position. Reeth successfully retired the next two batters to hold the score at 5-3.
Reeth fired scoreless innings in the fifth and the sixth while registering his first-two strikeouts in Orange & Blue. The transfer right-hander used a 4-6-3 twin killing en route to a shutout seventh. After 3 2/3 scoreless innings from Reeth, the UF offense broke through.
Chasing two runs, Ethan Surowiec and Blake Cyr set the table with a one-out hit-by-pitch and double to left, respectively. Landon Stripling cashed in with an RBI single to left followed by the big blow from Jones, who ripped a two-run single to right field to give Florida its first lead at 6-5. Lawson then used his second base hit of the day to plate Kendall on an RBI knock through the right side, capping off the four-run frame at a 7-5 tally.
Florida's only lead was short-lived, as UAB stormed back with two runs in the top of the eighth to tie it back up at 7-7. With two men down, Hall Jr. ripped a two-run single to right to knot the ballgame.
Right-hander Jackson Barberi held the score for the Gators into the bottom of the ninth by blanking the Blazers. Florida threatened in the home half thanks to a two-out double by Lawson, but he was left stranded in scoring position as the game went to extra innings.
UAB pushed across two runs in the 10th on a fielder's choice by Hall Jr. and an RBI groundout to third base from Alex Dupuy, giving the Blazers a 10-8 advantage. The Gators went down in order in the home half.
Blazers reliever Riley Miller (1-0) recorded the win behind three shutout innings of relief on two hits, one walk and one strikeout.
Barberi (0-1) received the loss, tossing the final 2 1/3 frames for Florida. The right-hander did not surrender a hit but gave up two runs (one earned) on two walks and four strikeouts.
Peterson did not factor into the decision, lasting 3 1/3 frames with five runs allowed (four earned) on three hits, five walks and three strikeouts.
UAB starter Mason Steele did not factor into the decision either after pitching five innings with three runs allowed (two earned) on four hits, one walk and five strikeouts.
NOTABLES
- Seven UF starters registered hits and six scored runs.
- Bowen logged his first Gators hit in his very first at bat (first-inning single) and first RBI in Orange & Blue in his second at bat (third-inning sacrifice fly).
- A Windermere, Fla. native, Reeth made his UF debut out of the bullpen in the fourth inning and finished with 3 2/3 shutout frames on one hit and two strikeouts.
- Florida has won 17 of its last 23 regular-season games dating back to the 2025 season.
- The Gators have won 11 of the last 13 season openers after tonight's loss.
- Florida last lost a season opener on Feb. 16, 2024 vs. St. John's (L, 9-5).
- Florida is now 70-43-1 all-time in season openers, including a 16-3 mark since 2008 and a 50-23-1 record at home.
- The Gators are 44-9 in season-opening series since 2008.
- Florida welcomed a crowd of 7,276 fans on Opening Night.
On Peterson's outing…
"Yeah, five walks obviously, in three and a third innings. That's not the Liam we expect to see or the Liam we usually see. He's been outstanding all preseason and wasn't as crisp tonight, but we know that he'll bounce back his next outing and we'll see the Liam we're used to seeing..."
On Reeth's relief performance…
"I told the team after the game, 'first of all, Ricky, hell of a job tonight', he kept us right there, kept us in the game, gave us a chance to battle back a couple different times. What a performance by him, he did a hell of a job."
On Jones' and Lawson's nights at the plate…
"They're both really gifted players and they're going to play long after they're Gators, both of them. I'm really pleased being around those guys every day and watching the way they work at their craft and it showed up tonight. It was a nice start to the season for both of them."
On Jacob Kendall earning an Opening Night start…
"He really had a great preseason. He probably led our team, I don't have the numbers in front of me, but I think he led our team in hitting throughout all of January and February and did a lot of damage as well. I thought he looked comfortable in his at bats tonight, he battled. We've got some good young players here and they're all going to get opportunities to play. Tonight was JK's."
UP NEXT
The Gators and Blazers face off again in a Saturday doubleheader. Game one of the twin bill is set for 2 p.m. while the series finale will begin 50 minutes after game one's conclusion. Both games will air on SEC Network+.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Riley Miller (1-0)
L: Barberi, Jackson (0-1)
Batting:
RBI: Kevin Hall Jr. 3 ; Alex Dupuy 1 ; Landon Beaver 1 ; Alex Cheeseman 2 ; Brady Waugh 1
SH: Austin Pierzynski 1 ; Baylor Roberts 1
SF: Landon Beaver 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kevin Hall Jr. 1 ; Alex Dupuy 2 ; JP Head 1 ; Landon Beaver 1 ; Brady Waugh 1 ; Wesley Helms 1 ; Andrew Hunt 1 ; Austin Pierzynski 1
SB: Kevin Hall Jr. 1 ; Alex Dupuy 1 ; Landon Beaver 1 ; Alex Cheeseman 2
HBP: Landon Beaver 1 ; Alex Cheeseman 1
Batting:
2B: Jones, Kyle 1 ; Lawson, Brendan 1 ; Cyr, Blake 1
RBI: Jones, Kyle 2 ; Lawson, Brendan 1 ; Bowen, Karson 1 ; Stripling, Landon 1
SF: Bowen, Karson 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Jones, Kyle 1 ; Lawson, Brendan 2 ; Surowiec, Ethan 1 ; Cyr, Blake 1 ; Stripling, Landon 1 ; Kendall, Jacob 1
SB: Lawson, Brendan 1
CS: Kurland, Cade 1
HBP: Yost, Hayden 1 ; Surowiec, Ethan 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
2
H
3
RBI
1
AB
5
R
1
H
2
RBI
2
AB
5
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ BaseballC
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
OF
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
INF
/ BaseballFlorida Baseball | Tom Slater Postgame Press Conference | February 13, 2026 | UAB
Saturday, February 14
Florida Baseball | Ricky Reeth Postgame Press Conference | February 13, 2026 | UAB
Saturday, February 14
Florida Baseball | Brendan Lawson Postgame Press Conference | February 13, 2026 | UAB
Saturday, February 14
Tom Slater Press Conference | UAB
Friday, February 13
