HOOVER, Ala. — The Florida Gators dropped 13 runs on 16 hits, ran the Alabama Crimson Tide out of the SEC Baseball Tournament with a five-run fifth inning and a four-run seventh, and triggered the 10-run rule with a two-run McDonald double in the bottom of the eighth to win 13-3 (FINAL/8) on Thursday evening at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. The No. 5 seed Gators advance to Saturday’s semifinal at 1 p.m. ET against the No. 1 seed Georgia Bulldogs — a rematch of season-shaping proportions for both programs.
Florida improved to 39-18 overall and 18-12 in SEC play. Alabama’s season at Hoover ends at 37-19 (17-13 SEC). The Crimson Tide — ranked No. 15 in the D1Baseball Top 25 — were the No. 4 seed for the first time since 2009 and now await Monday’s NCAA Tournament selection show.
For Florida head coach Kevin O’Sullivan, the win is the kind of program-defining tournament moment that defines mid-tier-seed runs. The No. 18-ranked Gators came into Hoover as the No. 5 seed — Florida’s highest seed of the year — and have now won 9 of their last 10 games. O’Sullivan, in his 18th SEC Tournament appearance, owns the league’s most active tournament history among non-Hall-of-Fame coaches: 32-25 all-time, two titles (2011, 2015).
“Just a great game by us today,” O’Sullivan said in the postgame press conference. “Obviously, we’re swinging the bats as well as we have all year long.”
For Rob Vaughn, in his second season at Alabama and the head coach who has the Crimson Tide ranked in the D1Baseball Top 25, the loss closes Alabama’s deepest SEC Tournament run since 2010 — the program’s last semifinal appearance. The Crimson Tide started the year 25-8 and earned a No. 4 seed; their NCAA Tournament resume is strong, but the Hoover elimination was unambiguous.
SEMIFINALS BOUND ?➡️@WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/1iTh0i3bsW
— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) May 21, 2026
The 5th inning broke it open
The game was 2-0 Florida going into the bottom of the fifth. The early lead had come on solo home runs from Brendan Lawson (his 16th of the season, leading the team) and Ethan Surowiec in the top of the fourth. Both came off Alabama starter Tyler Fay — the right-hander who was named to the 2026 All-SEC Second Team and entered with a 9-3 record.
What happened in the fifth was a different game.
Karson Bowen led off with a single up the middle. Lucas Stripling flied out. Cade Kurland grounded out, but Bowen advanced to second. With two outs and Bowen on second, Hayden Yost doubled to right field to score Bowen and make it 3-0. Kyle Jones followed with an RBI single to right field to bring Yost home and make it 4-0. Brendan Lawson was hit by a pitch. Then Blake Cyr — the sophomore who hit a 4-for-5 game Wednesday against Vanderbilt — tripled to right field, scoring Lawson and Jones to make it 6-0. Surowiec followed with a hit to the shortstop that was misplayed, scoring Cyr (unearned) to make it 7-0.
By the time the inning ended, Florida had sent eight batters to the plate, collected four hits, and put up five runs.
The Alabama lead-extension threat in the bottom of the fifth (a Lebron double, a Steele single, a Neal sac fly) cut it back to 7-1 — but the damage was done.
The at-bat that set the tone
We are JONESIN' ?
? SECN pic.twitter.com/RHtzEXShQc
— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) May 21, 2026
The decisive offensive moment, in O’Sullivan’s view, didn’t come on a home run. It came in the top of the second inning — when Florida finally got its first hit off Fay.
“We knew going into the game that Tyler was going to be difficult to deal with. Obviously he no-hit us a few months ago,” O’Sullivan said. “But we tried to be a little bit more aggressive early in the count, because I felt like the last time we played him, he was 0-1 the entire night. And we just never could get anything going, obviously. But dugout kind of got excited, I think, in the second when we got our first hit.”
That first hit was Ethan Surowiec’s. The Florida third baseman took a long at-bat against Fay — eight or nine pitches, foul balls, takes — and finally lined a single to left center. From there, Florida’s offense was unlocked.
“I kind of had a long AB with him, couple of foul balls and had some pretty good takes in there,” Surowiec said. “But I think it certainly kind of got the team going, showing that it is possible, we can get a hit off this guy. But yeah, I think me having a big long at-bat just kind of got our team going in the right direction.”
O’Sullivan said that single at-bat was the moment that changed the game.
“I truly believe that his at-bat set the tone. I don’t know how many pitches it was, it was probably an eight- or nine-pitch at-bat,” O’Sullivan said. “But I think that kind of got our confidence going a little bit, and obviously it resulted in a hit, but he certainly had a great day.”
Surowiec was the offensive star
Ethan Surowiec — the Florida third baseman — finished 4-for-5 with a home run, two doubles, three RBI, and three runs scored. His night was the kind of complete offensive performance a head coach builds an inning around.
Surowiec’s stat line: HR in the 4th, single in the 2nd, error-aided run-scoring sequence in the 5th, two-run double down the right-field line in the 7th, ground-rule double down the left-field line in the 8th to set up the run-rule trigger. He scored on the McDonald double that ended the game.
The fourth-inning home run came on a 3-0 pitch — a count that, even with the green light, surprised Surowiec.
“Big part of my game plan, just to be on time as much as possible and put good swings on balls,” Surowiec said. “But the home run, it was a 3-0 count. Actually I was a little surprised when I got the green light. But just saw the ball in the middle of the plate, something I could handle. Just kind of shrinking my zone just even more. And it’s certainly a pitch I could handle. So I put a good swing on it.”
For Surowiec — a player O’Sullivan has been working into Florida’s middle-of-the-order rotation as Yost and Cyr have emerged — Thursday was the kind of stat-line afternoon that signals he’s ready to keep producing in the NCAA Tournament.
Caden McDonald: two-way
For Caden McDonald — the Florida DH who entered the game as the team’s hottest bat and exited as both a hitter and a relief pitcher — the night was the kind of two-way performance that gets attention.
McDonald’s hitting line: 2-for-5, including a triple down the left-field line in the 7th inning that drove in Surowiec to make it 10-1, and a 2-run double down the left-field line in the 8th that scored Cyr and Surowiec to make it 13-3 — the run-rule trigger.
McDonald’s pitching line: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 2 R (both earned, on a Neal home run), 1 BB, 4 K, 43 pitches. McDonald entered in relief of Liam Peterson in the sixth inning, struck out the side, then yielded the Brady Neal home run in the seventh to allow Alabama’s two runs.
O’Sullivan, asked about McDonald’s quality at-bats, gave credit to the surrounding lineup.
“I mean, he’s hitting in the middle of the order for a reason. We’ve got some other guys. [Lucas] Stripling is starting to really swing the bat really well. He’s had some big at-bats for us. Cade Kurland’s starting to come around,” O’Sullivan said. “Hayden Yost, who is hitting 9-hole, obviously that’s been well-documented. Brendan Lawson, I mean fouls the ball off his knee. I know it hurt. Next pitch, he hits a double into the gap. I just start shaking my head.”
McDonald’s two-way appearance Thursday is the kind of versatility piece that gives O’Sullivan options moving into the NCAA Tournament.
Liam Peterson — the 8-K start
For Florida, the foundation of the win was a starter who held up. Junior right-hander Liam Peterson — the player O’Sullivan had said Wednesday “Liam’s last two starts is like what we’ve been waiting for” — delivered his best outing of the tournament.
Peterson’s line: 5.0 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 K, 94 pitches. He gave up Alabama’s only earned run (a Neal sac fly in the fifth) and otherwise kept the Crimson Tide off the board through five innings.
Peterson said his fastball command was the key — and that his curveball played up.
“I think my fastball command was pretty good today. I thought if I missed my spot, it was in a good place. So it wasn’t too much middle,” Peterson said. “Then I thought my curveball was really well as well. A little bit harder today. So maybe it played a little better, but I think those two pitches really helped a lot.”
Peterson also credited his catcher, Karson Bowen, for navigating his rough pitches in the dirt.
“He’s been great back there. And there’s a bunch of balls I spiked probably 40 feet and he was blocking it. So I kind of beat him up today,” Peterson said. “Like you said, he’s a wall back there. And it’s always great throwing with him.”
By the time Peterson exited after five innings, Florida had built a 7-1 lead and the bullpen was lined up. McDonald in the sixth and seventh; Reese Reeth to close the eighth.
Fay got rocked
Tyler Fay — the Alabama ace and All-SEC Second Team starting pitcher — was charged with the loss. The right-hander went 5.0 innings, allowed seven runs (six earned) on six hits, walked one, and struck out four. The two solo home runs by Lawson and Surowiec in the fourth set the table; the five-run fifth made the start unsalvageable.
Fay had not pitched poorly against Florida earlier in the season — Alabama swept Florida in Tuscaloosa with Fay starting one of those wins. Thursday was different. The Florida hitters were ahead in the count, took advantage of mistakes, and ran the inning when the chance came.
Alabama’s bullpen — Heiberger, Crowther, and Steckmesser — managed to keep things from getting completely out of hand at points, but the four-run seventh and two-run eighth made it impossible to extend the game.
Brady Neal’s lone moment
For Alabama, the offensive moments were limited but real. Brady Neal — the Crimson Tide DH and 2026 All-SEC Second Team DH/Util — went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning to make it 11-3, his second hit of the night. Neal also drove in Alabama’s first run with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fifth.
Joaquin Lebron — the Alabama freshman shortstop who was a top-2-overall MLB Draft prospect in some mock drafts before this season and who slipped to mid-first-round projections through 2026 — went 2-for-4 with a single and a double. His draft stock has been the year’s most-watched topic among Florida fans; Thursday was a mixed performance.
The revenge factor, and the history
The Florida-Alabama matchup was the fourth meeting between the teams in 2026. Alabama swept the regular-season series in Tuscaloosa earlier this season — a sweep that, in retrospect, looked like the springboard for Alabama’s strong second half and the source of Florida’s frustration entering Hoover.
Thursday was the revenge. The all-time series, before the O’Sullivan era at Florida (which began in 2008), had Alabama leading the all-time series 52-41. Since O’Sullivan took over in Gainesville, Florida is 32-11 against Alabama. That’s an extraordinary 18-year run of dominance against an SEC West rival — and the 13-3 elimination Thursday adds another tally.
For Florida, this is the program’s 45th SEC Tournament appearance, with a 78-71 all-time tournament record and seven titles. The Gators have reached the SEC Tournament semifinals in 7 of the last 11 tournaments. They’ve also homered in eight of their last nine tournament games (20 home runs across that span).
For Alabama, this is the program’s 34th SEC Tournament appearance. The Crimson Tide haven’t reached a tournament semifinal since 2010. They have surrendered 10 or more runs in five of their last seven tournament losses.
What’s next: Florida-Georgia on Saturday
Florida advances to Saturday’s semifinal at 1 p.m. ET on the SEC Network to face the No. 1 seed Georgia Bulldogs — winners of Thursday’s earlier quarterfinal over Mississippi State 5-3. The Florida-Georgia matchup is a marquee SEC Tournament semifinal between two programs that have been at the top of the conference for nearly a decade.
In the regular season, Florida won the series in Gainesville against Georgia. But O’Sullivan said in his postgame that the regular-season result will mean nothing on Saturday.
“Quite honestly, I think the success we had will have no bearing on Saturday. They’re playing with a ton of confidence,” O’Sullivan said. “To win the league, especially this year, I mean, is an unbelievable accomplishment. I say it every year, seems like the league gets more difficult every year. The players get better. And what they’ve been able to accomplish and the way they’re playing with energy and they’re pitching as good as they have all year long, it’s certainly going to be a difficult task for us. But what happened during the regular season is going to have no bearing on Saturday.”
Georgia comes in off five days’ rest from a first-round bye, with Joey Volchko (5.0 IP) and Matt Scott (3.0 IP, 0 hits) used in the quarterfinal. Wes Johnson — the 2026 SEC Coach of the Year — said in his Game 9 postgame that the Georgia bullpen is set up for a multi-game run.
Florida arrives with Liam Peterson having thrown 94 pitches Thursday and out of rotation for Saturday. Aidan King — the SEC Pitcher of the Year — threw 75 pitches in Game 6 on Wednesday and would be on three days’ rest Saturday; King is the likely starter. Otherwise, the bullpen — Barberi, Lugo-Canchola, McNeillie — is reasonably rested.
For Alabama, the season’s at-large fate is now in the selection committee’s hands. The Crimson Tide’s 37-19 record, top-15 D1Baseball ranking, and SEC tournament resume should secure a regional bid; the question is whether it’s at home (in Tuscaloosa) or on the road.
The two-day stat that stands out
Asked about Florida’s run-scoring across two consecutive elimination games at the Hoover Met, O’Sullivan acknowledged the rarity.
“I think that’s 30 hits by your batters over two days and 26 strikeouts from your pitchers. Have you played that well all year in back-to-back games, both sides of the ball?” a reporter asked.
“It’s hard to say. I mean, this season, for everybody, and every coach I talk to, it’s so up and down, you can’t predict this many hits against somebody’s number one. It was just one of those days for us,” O’Sullivan said. “And obviously we have been playing better. I think we’ve won nine of our last 10. I think somebody said that today.”
The Florida pitching staff has struck out 10 or more in seven of the last eight tournament games. That’s a streak that signals consistency at the right time of the year.
The grind
Game 10 was played in the weather-adjusted post-Game-9 slot, approximately 30 minutes after Mississippi State-Georgia ended. The Hoover Met crowd saw two games on Thursday — a more compressed Day 3 than Days 1 and 2, when four games per day were the norm. For the Hoover Met crowd, Thursday was a doubleheader of conference-defining baseball.
The single-elimination format moves to Friday with two more quarterfinals: Arkansas vs. No. 2 Texas at 4 p.m. ET, and Auburn vs. No. 3 Texas A&M at 8 p.m. ET. By Saturday, the field will be down to four teams in two semifinals, then Sunday’s championship game.
Florida’s path through the bracket — Vanderbilt in Game 6, Alabama in Game 10, Georgia in Game 13 (Saturday’s semifinal), and whoever wins the other semifinal in Sunday’s championship — is the kind of road that defines tournament runs. The Gators are halfway there.
By the Numbers
Score: Florida 13, Alabama 3 (FINAL/8, run rule)
Hits: Florida 16, Alabama 9
Errors: Florida 0, Alabama 1
Left on base: Florida 6, Alabama 9
Florida pitching: Liam Peterson (W) 5.0 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 K, 94 pitches. Caden McDonald 2.0 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 43 pitches. Reese Reeth 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 18 pitches.
Alabama pitching: Tyler Fay (L) 5.0 IP, 6 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 4 K. Michael Heiberger, A. Crowther, E. Steckmesser pitched in relief.
Florida hitting leaders: Ethan Surowiec 4-for-5, HR, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 3 R. Caden McDonald 2-for-5, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 1 R (also pitched 2.0 IP in relief). Brendan Lawson 2-for-4, HR (16th — team lead), 3 R, 1 RBI, 1 HBP. Blake Cyr 2-for-4, 3B, 3 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB. Lucas Stripling 2-for-5. Hayden Yost 1-for-3, 2B, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB. Kyle Jones 1-for-5, 1 RBI, 1 R. Karson Bowen 1-for-3, 1 RBI (sac fly), 1 R, 1 HBP.
Alabama hitting leaders: Joaquin Lebron 2-for-4, 2B, SB. Brady Neal 1-for-3, HR, 2 RBI, 1 R. Carter Holt 2-for-4. Justin Torres 1-for-4. Hayden Steele 1-for-3, 1 R.
For More on the 2026 SEC Tournament
- Game 9 Recap: Georgia 5, Mississippi State 3
- Game 8 Recap: Auburn 3, LSU 1
- Game 7 Recap: Arkansas 8, Tennessee 4
- Game 6 Recap: Florida 8, Vanderbilt 3
- Game 5 Recap: Mississippi State 12, Missouri 2 (7 inn.)
- Game 4 Recap: LSU 6, Oklahoma 2
- Game 3 Recap: Tennessee 11, South Carolina 6
- Game 2 Recap: Vanderbilt 8, Kentucky 5
- Game 1 Recap: Missouri 10, Ole Miss 8
- How to Watch: Day 3 Quarterfinal Preview
2026 SEC Baseball Tournament Schedule
All times Eastern. Second game of each session begins approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first.
Tuesday, May 19 — First Round
Game 1: Missouri 10, Ole Miss 8 — FINAL
Game 2: Vanderbilt 8, Kentucky 5 — FINAL
Game 3: Tennessee 11, South Carolina 6 — FINAL
Game 4: LSU 6, Oklahoma 2 — FINAL
Wednesday, May 20 — Second Round
Game 5: Mississippi State 12, Missouri 2 (7 inn.) — FINAL
Game 6: Florida 8, Vanderbilt 3 — FINAL
Game 7: Arkansas 8, Tennessee 4 — FINAL
Game 8: Auburn 3, LSU 1 — FINAL
Thursday, May 21 — Quarterfinals
Game 9: Georgia 5, Mississippi State 3 — FINAL
Game 10: Florida 13, Alabama 3 (8 inn., run rule) — FINAL
Friday, May 22 — Quarterfinals (SEC Network)
Game 11: Arkansas vs. No. 2 Texas — 4 p.m. ET
Game 12: Auburn vs. No. 3 Texas A&M — 8 p.m. ET
Saturday, May 23 — Semifinals (SEC Network)
Game 13: Florida vs. No. 1 Georgia — 1 p.m. ET
Game 14: Winner Game 11 vs. Winner Game 12 — 5 p.m. ET
Sunday, May 24 — Championship (ABC)
Game 15: Winner Game 13 vs. Winner Game 14 — 2 p.m. ET
