Florida baseball led the top-seeded Georgia Bulldogs 6-0 after three innings, but the Gators slowly let the lead slip away and lost, 8-7, in semifinal action at the 2026 SEC Baseball Tournament on Saturday.
Things started great with Blake Cyr driving in three runs in his first two at-bats. Cyr homered in the first and singled in Hayden Yost and Cade Kurland in the third. A Caden McDonald three-run homer doubled the 3-0 lead, and thoughts of another run-rule victory started to creep in.
Georgia was determined to make this a close game, though, and an injury to Florida starter Russell Sandefer meant that the Gators would have to go deep into their bullpen. Jackson Barberi kept the shutout going into the third, but a leadoff hit batter and single spelled trouble for the Orange and Blue.
The Bulldogs cut their deficit in half with a sacrifice fly and a pair of RBI doubles in the fourth. Ricky Reeth took over to get the final out of the inning, but he was the one who gave up both extra-base hits. Georgia added a run in the fifth; this time scoring off Luke McNeillie on a slider spiked into the dirt for a wild pitch.
Ernesto Lugo-Canchola was the fifth pitcher of the day for Florida. He got the final out of the fifth and struck out the side in the sixth, but a leadoff single in the seventh eventually spiraled. Both teams had to wait an hour after Lugo-Canchola left the game as a conveniently timed downpour drenched the field.
Out of the break, Georgia was hot, and Florida was not. Joshua Whritenour gave up a single on the first pitch he threw, and then came a two-run double. Fortunately, Florida still held the lead at that point thanks to yet another RBI from Cyr in the top of the inning.
Whritenour stayed in, looking for the eight-out save, but a leadoff error and double turned into the tying and winning runs, both scoring on sacrifice flies. Florida didn’t have a baserunner after the rain delay, going six up and six down to get knocked out of the SEC Tournament.
The NCAA Tournament selection show is Monday at noon ET.
FINAL: Georgia 8, Florida 7
Georgia completes the comeback. Florida goes three up, three down in the ninth to end it. Hayden Yost popped up to third. Kyle Jones grounded out to second and Brendan Lawson did the same. From 6-0 to 8-7. Florida needed this win to make a stronger argument for a top-8 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Georgia takes the lead
An error by Ethan Surowiec at third base to start the inning was a bad omen for Florida. Ryan Black doubled into left-center, putting the tying and go-ahead run into scoring position. Tre Phelps drove in the first, and Daniel Jackson gave Georgia the lead. Both runs came on sacrifice flies. (E8: Georgia 8, Florida 7)
Florida’s bats come out cold
The Gators didn’t get the same offensive boost from the break that the Bulldogs did. Karson Bowen struck out looking, Landon Stripling flied out to center field and Cade Kurland struck out looking… not good.
(M8: Florida 7, Georgia 6)
Georgia jumps on Whritenour out of rain delay
Joshua Whritenour took over on the mound for Florida after the one-hour rain delay. Rylan Lujo took the first pitch he saw down the left-field line for a single, putting two men on with one out. Kenny Ishikawa followed up with a double to left-center, bringing both runners in. It’s a one-run game.
Whritenour bounced back with a 98-mph fastball to strike out Ryan Wynn, and Brennan Hudson grounded out to second base to end the inning with Florida still leading. (M7: Florida 7, Georgia 6)
Restart time announced
The game is now set to resume at approximately 4:50 p.m. ET.
WEATHER DELAY
Lugo-Canchola came back to get through Johnson, the lefty who batted second in the seventh, but that meant he had to face Daniel Jackson, who smacked a line drive into right-center for a sileadoff single. Johnson struck out swinging, though, and Kevin O’Sullivan came out for a pitching change.
Sully was going to closer Joshua Whritenour for a potential eight-out save, but the rain came down before he could throw his first pitch.
The game is now in a weather delay. Stay tuned for updates as they become available.
B-Law and Cyr get some insurance
Aoki got back to work, inducing groundouts from Hayden Yost and Kyle Jones, but Brendan Lawson had other plans. Lawson doubled down the right-field line, notching Florida’s first hit since the third inning. Blake Cyr knew what to do. He singled through the left side and brought in a big insurance run.
Ethan Surowiec singled to third base. It was a soft tapper that didn’t really have a play to make. A wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position, but Caden McDonald couldn’t get the job done, swinging at strike three. (M7: Florida 7, Georgia 4)
Every-day Ernie strikes out the side
Lugo-Canchola came back out for the seventh and struck out the side. He was spamming the slider at will and got Kolby Branch and Tre Phelps chasing, with a backwards K on Ryan Black between the two. (E6: Florida 6, Georgia 4)
Aoki shuts down Florida for another inning
Aoki stayed in for the sixth after dominating the fifth. Once again, he had to deal with a baserunner after walking Karson Bowen with one out, but he handled everyone else with ease. Caden McDonald and Cade Kurald struck out looking, and Landon Stripling flied out to the warning track in center field. Momentum has shifted. (M6: Florida 6, Georgia 4)
ELC bails out McNeillie
Luke McNeillie is the new pitcher for Florida. Daniel Jackson greets him with a double to left-center, and Cole Johnson pinch hits for Michael O’Shaugnessy. Rylan Lujo beat out an infield single to shortstop that Brendan Lawson couldn’t get a grip on.
A spiked slider brought Jackson across home plate and moved Lujo to third after he stole second base earlier.
McNeillie got Kenny Ishikawa to strike out on a checked swing that just went far enough. Ishikawa didn’t like the call. Ryan Wynn walked, ending the day for McNeillie.
Ernesto Lugo-Canchola came in to face Brennan Hudson. ELC won the left-on-left battle with a popup to shortstop. (E5: Florida 6, Georgia 4)
Aoki faces the minimum in fifth
Caden Aoki took over for Brown on the mound in the top of the fifth. Hr got Brendan Lawson to pop up into shallow left field and induced a pair of groundballs to third that should have ended the inning. Cyr was out on his grounder, but Ethan Surowiec beat out a bad throw to extend the inning… briefly. Aoki picked off Surowiec to face the minimum. (M5: Florida 6, Georgia 3)
Georgia cuts Florida’s lead in half
Jackson Barberi hit Rylan Lujo to open the bottom of the fourth. Florida challenged the call, but a replay showed that Lujo stood his ground rather than initiate contact, upholding the hit by pitch.
Kenny Ishikawa singled through the right side; he’s 2-for-2 today. Ishikawa stole second, putting both runners in scoring position for Ryann Winn. Babrei struck out Wynn with a slider, but Brennan Hudson nearly took him deep to right field.
Yost made a leaping grab at the wall, turning a potential three-run shot into a sacrifice fly.
Florida turned to Ricky Reeth for the final out of the fourth. He gave up RBI doubles to Kolby Branch and Ryan Black. The first was torched into the left-center gap, but the second held up in the air for a while before dropping into no-man’s land in shallow left field. Blake Cyr didn’t see it off the bat, so he had no shot at making the catch.
Phelps lined one to short, but Brendan Lawson was there to make a diving (falling?) catch to end the inning. (E4: Florida 6, Georgia 3)
Georgia responds with three Ks
Zach Brown struck out Cade Kurland, Hayden Yost and Kyle Jones for a 1-2-3 frame. Florida doesn’t seem to have a good feel for his pitches yet. Kurland whiffed at a slider outside of the zone, Yost swung over a changeup and Jones stared at a fastball that clipped the bottom of the zone. Jones challenged the call, but it was upheld as strike three. (M4: Florida 6, Georgia 0)
Barberi strikes out the side
Barberi hasn’t gone to the changeup much all season, but he’s leaning on it heavily in this one. Maybe it’s a longevity thing after entering the game in the second inning, but it’s fooling Georgia’s hitters.
Ryan Black, Daniel Jackson and Michael O’Shaughnessy all went down on the changeup. Jackson was the only one swinging. Tre Phelps sprinkled in a one-out single back up the middle, off Barberi’s glove, but it didn’t turn into anything. (E3: Florida 6, Georgia 0)
Cyr drives in a pair, McDonald launches three-run shot
Vigue hit Cade Kurland to open the third; although, it looked like the catcher got the worse end of that pitch. Hayden Yost singled through the right side, keeping his hot streak going. Kyle Jones couldn’t bring in the runs, fouling out just right of first base, but Brendan Lawson drew a walk to load the bases for Blake Cyr.
Cyr singled up the middle, bringing in Kurland and Yost. All three of Florida’s RBIs so far belong to Cyr.
Ethan Surowiec flied out to center field, but Caden McDonald missile-launched a no-doubt, three-run home run to left-center. Florida leads, 6-0, and Georgia is changing pitchers.
Zach Brown is the new arm for the Bulldogs. Karson Bowen greeted him with an infield hit to second base, but Landon Stripling grounded out to the right side to end the big inning. (M3: Florida 6, Georgia 0)
Sully provides update on Sandefer
During an in-game interview, Florida head coach Kevin O’Sullivan said that they already got imaging done on Sandefer’s forearm, “and they came back negative.” Sandefer is wrapped up in ice and is going around telling his teammates, “I’m good.”
Barberi delivers for Florida in second after injury delay
Barberi got all the time he needed to warm up, and he looks good. He got Ryan Wynn to pop up to Cade Kurland at second, and fooled Brennan Hudson with a pair of 91-92 mph changeups for a swinging strikeout.
Kolby Branch barreled one to deep center field, but it died at the warning track for the third out. Good work from Barberi after being put in a tough spot. (E2: Florida 1, Georgia 0)
Sandefer leaves game after getting hit with comebacker
Kenny Ishikawa lined a 105-mph ball back at Sandefer, and it clipped the Florida starter’s right arm. The training staff came to check him out, and a visible bump was present above his elbow.
The decision was easy. Take him out and turn to the bullpen. Jackson Barberi is warming in the bullpen as the players head back to the dugout to get out of the heat. (B2: Florida 1, Georgia 0)
Vigue retires side in order
Vigue’s sinker-slider mix is working well despite the Cyr home run. Florida went down 1-2-3 on six pitches. Caden McDonald popped up to shallow left-center; shortstop Kolby Branch fielded it over his shoulder.
Karson Bowen tapped a slider back to the pitcher. Vigue fired the ball to first, but it had some of that sinker dip and was a tough pick for first baseman Brennan Hudson to make. Bowen tried to beat it out, but Hudson picked it up with his bare hand while still on the base with plenty of time to spare.
Landon Stripling also went back to the pitcher. This one was more routine to first base for out No. 3 of the inning. (M2: Florida 1, Georgia 0)
Sandefer works around leadoff single
Russell Sandefer gave up a leadoff single to Tre Phelps, but he retired the next three batters in order to preserve Florida’s 1-0 lead.
Sandefer’s fastball looks really good, showing a lot of arm-side run and reaching up to 97 mph. He got Daniel Jackson to ground out to third on the ninth pitch of his at-bat. Michael O’Shaugnessy waved at a changeup that dropped out of the zone for the second out, and Rylan Lujo flied out to deep center field to end the inning.
That was a 20-pitch first inning for Sandefer, so let’s keep an eye on his pitch count moving forward. The bullpen is rested and may need to do some work today. (E1: Florida 1, Georgia 0)
Cyr gives Florida an early lead.
Dylan Vigue started off sharp with a pair of quick outs, but Blake Cyr got to him to give Florida an early lead.
Kyle Jones swung at the first pitch he saw and grounded out to third base. Brendan Lawson struck out looking. He tried to take a ball on an 0-2 pitch, but Georgia’s catcher, Daniel Jackson, challenged the call and got the strikeout.
Blake Cyr got the Gators on the board early, homering on an 0-2 fastball. It was a tall, arcing home run, hit 107 mph off the bat at a 34-degree launch angle. Cyr launched it 427 feet.
Ethan Surowiec took one for a ride, too, but Ryan Black made a nice play in foul territory at the warning track. He snagged the ball for the third out and slammed face first into the wall. He bounced off and looks okay, though. (M1: Florida 1, Georgia 0)
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The Florida at Georgia game starts at 1 p.m. ET from Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida blows 6-0 lead vs. Georgia in SEC Tournament semifinal loss
Reporting by David Rosenberg, Gators Wire / Gators Wire
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