The Gators swept a top-five team on the road for the first time since the NCBWA poll began in 1998.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Florida took down No. 4 Arkansas by a final score of 7-6 to deliver the program’s highest-ranked road sweep this century in the series finale at Baum-Walker Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Capping off a perfect 4-0 week against top-10 foes, the Gators (23-6, 6-3 SEC) swept the Razorbacks (19-10, 4-5 SEC) in Fayetteville for the first time since the 2016 campaign and have won eight of their last nine SEC series dating back to last season. Florida also posted its first road sweep against a top-five opponent since the NCBWA top-25 poll began in 1998.
Behind 5 2/3 innings of three-run ball from starting hurler Russell Sandefer, Florida totaled a season-high 17 hits led by Blake Cyr (2-for-5), Brendan Lawson (3-for-5) and Ethan Surowiec (4-for-5), with the latter two bashing back-to-back homers in the fifth frame. Cyr drove in each of UF’s first-three runs while Lawson scored three times.
Surowiec notched his best performance as a Gator to date, going 4-for-5 with one homer, two doubles and three runs scored. He set new single-game career highs in hits and total bases (nine).
Creating traffic from the onset, the Gators produced four baserunners in the opening frame. Kyle Jones led off with a single but was picked off for the first out. Surowiec kept the inning alive with a one-out single through the left side, followed by a hit-by-pitch of Karson Bowen and RBI single to left off the bat of Cyr to open an early, 1-0 lead.
The Razorbacks evened the tally in the home half of the first, beginning with a leadoff single to center by Carter Rutenbar. After advancing to second on a wild pitch, Rutenbar came home on a two-out, RBI single through the left side from Zack Stewart to make it a 1-1 ballgame.
Sandefer rebounded for a clean second inning after registering a pair of strikeouts in the first to nearly escape the jam. The UF offense followed his lead, as Lawson opened top-three with a single and moved to third on a double to left by Surowiec. With one man down, Cyr plated both Gators with a line-drive single to left-center as Florida reclaimed the lead at 3-1.
Sandefer rolled through the third, fanning the Arkansas side in order to reach five strikeouts on the day. Arkansas fought back in the fourth to draw within one run at 3-2, as Kuhio Aloy singled with one out and scored on a double down the right-field line from Reese Robinett.
The Gators promptly responded, as Lawson and Surowiec drilled back-to-back home runs to begin the top of the fifth inning. Cade Kurland and Cole Stanford smacked consecutive, two-out singles to reset the table. Ashton Wilson cashed in, singling to left field to bring home Kurland and extending the UF advantage to 6-2 through five- and one-half frames.
In the home half of the fifth, the UF defense delivered their best defensive inning of the season. After a diving catch by Cyr down the left-field line, Lawson dazzled with back-to-back fielding gems at shortstop to steal two more base hits from the Razorbacks.
The following inning, Arkansas cut the UF advantage to 6-3 as Camden Kozeal scored on a double play ball off the bat of Aloy. Sandefer was then relieved by lefty Ernesto Lugo-Canchola, who induced a groundout of Robinett to second base to put six innings in the books.
Arkansas reliever Ethan McElvain walked the bases loaded with one out in the seventh. Florida was unable to capitalize, as McElvain fanned Kolt Myers and got Jones to groundout to second to strand the bags juiced.
The Razorbacks drew within one run at 6-5 in bottom-seven. Ryder Helfrick hit a two-out, two-run homer to right-center. The Gators quickly got one of the runs back for a 7-5 contest, thanks to a two-out RBI single through the left side by Kurland to plate Lawson, who reached on a leadoff single.
Florida’s two-run edge was reduced to one at 7-6 in the bottom of the eighth. With one out, Aloy barreled a solo shot to left-center field.
In the bottom of the ninth, righty Luke McNeillie stranded the tying run on third base by striking out Helfrick on five pitches. McNeillie was credited with his first save of the year, pitching 2 1/3 frames with two earned runs allowed on three hits, zero walks and four strikeouts.
Sandefer (2-1) earned his first weekend victory as a Gator. The junior right-hander scattered three earned runs over 5 2/3 innings, surrendering six hits and zero walks while fanning six Razorbacks.
Arkansas starting pitcher Colin Fisher (2-3) was dealt the loss. The junior southpaw lasted 2 1/3 frames while being charged with three earned runs on six hits and two strikeouts.
Lawson, Surowiec, Cyr, Kurland (2-for-4) and Myers (2-for-5) each registered multiple hits in the victory. All nine UF starters collected at least one knock.
NOTABLES
* Florida posted its first road sweep of a top-five opponent in the Kevin O’Sullivan era (2008-present) as well is this century.
* This is the first time the Gators have swept a top-five foe on the road since the NCBWA top-25 poll began in 1998.
* Florida last swept a top-five team (any location) in 2023 against No. 5 Vanderbilt at home.
* The Gators have won eight of their last nine SEC series, going 20-7 across their last 27 SEC games dating back to last season.
* Florida swept Arkansas in Fayetteville for the first time since 2016.
* Florida took the all-time series lead vs. Arkansas this weekend at 41-39.
* The Gators have won four-straight games at Baum-Walker Stadium.
* Florida went a perfect 4-0 in four games vs. top-10 opponents this week.
* The Gators improved to 7-0 against ranked teams this season.
* Florida tallied a season-high 17 hits.
* Making his first weekend start in Orange & Blue, Sandefer earned the win with 5 2/3 innings of three-run ball while striking out six.
* Jones led off the game with a single to improve to 11-for-27 in his leadoff at bat for a .407 batting average.
* Cyr drove in each of Florida’s first-three runs on a pair of run-scoring singles.
* Lawson set a new career with his 11th home runs of the season in the fifth.
* Surowiec made it back-to-back jacks with his fifth homer and second long ball of the series.
* Florida hit back-to-back homers for the first time since Jones and Lawson accomplished the feat in the first inning against High Point on March 8 of this season.
* Surowiec produced his best performance as a Gator to date, setting a new single-game high in hits and total bases (nine) while going 4-for-5 with one homer, two doubles and three runs scored.
* McNeillie secured his first save of the campaign.
* The Gators have recorded double-digit strikeouts in 21 of the last 25 games.
* The Gators have won 40 of their last 50 regular-season games dating back to 2025.
* Florida is now 15-18 in Fayetteville against Arkansas.
* The Gators are 23-25 overall and 8-10 on the road vs. the Razorbacks under O’Sullivan.
* Florida has won nine of the last 12 including six of seven against Arkansas.
* Sunday afternoon’s official attendance was 9,460.
FROM HEAD COACH KEVIN O’SULLIVAN
On sweeping a top-five team on the road…
“Yeah, it’s been a good week, a good rebound week. Obviously, started on Tuesday night with Florida State and the guys played hard today and that was one of the things we were preaching. Get a chance to sweep anybody in this league, whether it be at home or away, whoever you play, you’ve gotta give it your best effort. Sundays are where championships are won. I’m really pleased with how Russ threw the ball today. He was outstanding and that double play we turned was key at that moment in the game. Luke obviously wished he had a couple pitches back, but he bucked up and had to face arguably their best hitter and end the game with a strikeout. I think we had five guys with multiple hit games. Brendan Lawson played great defense today, made two outstanding plays. We were pretty clean all day other than the one play earlier in the game. We played really clean defense. Obviously, (Lawson) had three hits and Ethan was outstanding. He had four hits and they both had home runs. Blake Cyr had a couple hits and Cade Kurland, that’s the best he’s looked swinging the bat this year. And Kolt Myers at the bottom had a couple hits. All in all a really good offensively with 17 hits. Played clean defense, only walked one which was key, and really pleased with how we responded from last weekend.”
On Wilson’s big RBI knock after dealing with some pain…
“I think that pretty much sums up our weekend. When he dove for the ball in right field, he kind of bruised his hip pointer. To gut out that at bat, honestly, I was going to make a change, but he goes, ‘no I got this. I’m gonna gut this thing out. I want to finish this at bat.’ Then he got the hit and the difference in the ball game was one run, so that pretty much exemplifies what this team did this weekend.”
On looking ahead…
“Well, it’s a long season and it’s amazing how things can change so quickly. That’s the thing we’ve gotta remind our guys. As bad as we felt last weekend, we have a totally feel this weekend, but it’s a long season. We’ve got JU on Tuesday and then in a short week we’ll play Thursday, Friday, Saturday against Ole Miss. They’re outstanding. It doesn’t get any easier so we can enjoy this now, but the good feeling can leave you in a hurry if you don’t stay focused on the task at hand. Great weekend, but now we’ve gotta get ready for JU and then Ole Miss.”
ON DECK
The Gators return home for a four-game homestand, beginning with a Tuesday matchup against Jacksonville at 6:30 p.m. on SEC Network+. Florida then hosts Ole Miss in a three-game series from Thursday, April 2 through Saturday, April 4.
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