Gators Topple No. 5 Seminoles on Road for Season Sweep

Tuesday, April 7

Tallahassee, Fla.

7 PM

Florida Gators

25-9

Florida State

24-8

Florida

Florida State

Joshua Whritenour celebrated a strikeout during the win over the Seminoles at Dick Howser Stadium in Tallahassee, Fla. / UAA Communications photo by Jordan Perez

Gators Topple No. 5 Seminoles on Road for Season Sweep

Tuesday, April 7, 2026 | Baseball

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Hayden Yost and Cole Stanford homered while closer Joshua Whritenour logged the final four outs.

By: Sullivan Bortner

Tallahassee, Fla. – Playing in front of rowdy sell-out crowd of 6,700 fans, Florida took down No. 5 FSU in a 4-3 thriller to complete the season sweep of the Seminoles at Dick Howser Stadium on Tuesday night.

Sweeping FSU (24-8) in the regular season for the eighth time under Head Coach Kevin O'Sullivan including the second in the last four years, the Gators (25-9) improved to 8-0 against ranked opponents this season. Asserting dominance as the top program in Florida, UF has won 27 of the last 35 meetings against FSU and is now 12-1 vs. in-state foes on the campaign.

Having claimed 11 of the last 17 season series over the Seminoles, Florida used a three-run fifth inning to take the lead for good in the finale. Kyle Jones (2-for-3) recorded his team-best 14th multi-hit effort while Hayden Yost (1-for-2) and Cole Stanford (1-for-3) slugged solo shots.

On the mound, UF starter Cooper Walls set the tone with 3 1/3 innings of one-run ball before turning the game over to the bullpen, which logged 5 2/3 frames with just two runs allowed. Right-hander Caden McDonald earned the win by shouldering the bulk of the load with 2 2/3 shutout innings before closer Joshua Whritenour fanned four in 1 2/3 scoreless frames to secure his sixth save.

The Gators and Seminoles traded zeros in the first inning, as Walls struck out one and stranded one to match FSU's Cooper Whited. Florida went down in order again in the top of the second, but Landon Stripling sent a ball to the right-field track and Stanford worked a 10-pitch at bat before grounding out to third base to end the frame. Walls kept pace by retiring the side in order in the home half of the second, striking out two more Seminoles in the process.

The two teams exchanged runs in the third inning, as Yost gave the Gators a temporary lead with a two-out homer via a line-drive shot over the right field wall on a 3-1 count. FSU answered back in the home half, as Brayden Dowd plated Chase Williams with a two-out single to right field to knot the game back up at 1-1.

After issuing a leadoff walk and fanning Eli Putnam in the bottom of the fourth, Walls was replaced by McDonald on the mound. Winning a nine-pitch battle against Cal Fisher, McDonald induced a flyout to Jones in left-center field, who then fired the ball in to second baseman Cade Kurland, followed by a throw to first to double up Kelvyn Paulino Jr. for an inning-ending, twin killing.

In the top of the fifth, Stanford promptly led off with a solo home run down the left-field line to give the Gators a one-run edge back. The inning did not end there, as Yost extended the frame with a two-out walk and advanced to third on a series of wild pitches. Jones followed with a free pass and Ethan Surowiec came through, finding a hole through the right side for an RBI single. Karson Bowen capped off the three-run outburst with an RBI knock down the right-field line to give UF a 4-1 lead, but was thrown out at second trying to stretch it into a double for the third out.

McDonald held the momentum by retiring the FSU side in order in the bottom of the fifth, as the Seminoles flew out to Jones in center field for all three outs. The redshirt sophomore hurler opened the sixth by striking out-back-to-back batters, eventually stranding a two-out single by inducing a groundout to shortstop of Paulino Jr.

In the seventh, relievers Billy Barlow and Ernesto Lugo-Canchola teamed up for a scoreless frame, as the latter stranded a pair of baserunners by getting Williams to line out to shortstop. One inning later, the Seminoles broke through with a two-run homer to left from Hunter Carns to cut the UF advantage to 4-3. With two runners on and one man out, Florida called on Whritenour to mop up the mess. Whritenour needed just 10 pitches to escape the jam and strand a pair by fanning consecutive Seminoles.

Staying on the slab for the ninth, Whritenour struck out leadoff man Carter McCulley and then got Williams to fly out to left field. A one-out single created drama, but Whritenour fanned Dowd to slam the door and secure the season sweep.

Picking up his sixth save, Whritenour chucked 1 2/3 frames without allowing a run, giving up one hit and striking out four batters.

McDonald improved to 3-0 behind 2 2/3 scoreless innings of relief. The right-hander surrendered just one hit and struck out two against zero walks.

Whited (1-2) was saddled with the loss, giving up two earned runs in 4 1/3 innings on four hits. The rookie southpaw fanned two batters and did not issue a free pass.

Walls produced a strong starting performance despite not qualifying for the decision, tossing 3 1/3 frames of one-run ball. He was charged with three hits allowed and one walk while tying his career high with five strikeouts.

NOTABLES

The Gators improved to 8-0 against ranked teams this season.
Florida is 5-0 vs. top-10 foes and 4-0 against the top-five.
The Gators swept their eighth season series against FSU under Head Coach Kevin O'Sullivan. In that 19-year span, FSU has only accomplished the feat once.
Florida has won eight season series out of the last nine against the Seminoles while O'Sullivan has claimed 11 season series vs. FSU out of a possible 17 in his tenure.
The Gators are now 10-1 in midweek play and 12-1 vs. in-state foes this season.
Florida handed FSU its third home loss of the season (16-3).
Walls tied his career high with five strikeouts.
Yost plated the first run of the game with his first homer of the season in the third inning.
Stanford got the lead back in the fifth with his fifth home of the campaign.
Whritenour locked down his sixth save in seven chances.
The Gators have recorded double-digit strikeouts in 25 of the last 30 games.
The Gators have won 42 of their last 56 regular-season games dating back to 2025.
The Gators are now 132-135-1 all-time and 48-72-1 in Tallahassee against Florida State.
Florida is 40-23 overall including 11-8 on the road vs. the Seminoles under O'Sullivan.
The Gators have won five of the last six against FSU highlighted by four-straight victories.
Florida has won 27 of the last 35 meetings with Florida State.
Tuesday night's official attendance was 6,700.

FROM HEAD COACH KEVIN O'SULLIVAN
On the positives from the big win on the road…
"There's a lot of really good positives from tonight. Number one, Cooper Walls pitched outstanding. And I said that at the end of the game there, that we're going to need some guys to pick us up with Jackson (Barberi) being out for a little while. And the way he pitched tonight, he certainly can eat up some of those innings on the weekend for us, and this should be a huge boost for him. Caden McDonald continues to do what he does, which is eat up innings for us…"

On Whritenour securing the sweep of FSU…
"Couldn't be more proud of the way Josh threw after coming off, obviously a really disappointing ending to Saturday night. But that strikeout in the eighth and the way this place was really loud, having a hard time hearing the pitch it was that loud, but gets the 3-2 strikeout and then, was out there in the ninth and does great. So, a lot of positive things, and we needed to scrap out a win, especially on the road… Any time you can sweep an in-state rival, you got to feel good about it."

ON DECK
The Gators head to Athens, Ga, for a three-game series against the fourth-ranked Bulldogs from April 10-12.