Gators Shortstop Brendan Lawson Sparks Comeback Victory

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- Florida Gators shortstop Brendan Lawson has been ice-cold at the plate for over a month. He has looked outmatched and behind on nearly every pitch that has come his way. Those struggles also continued into Game One against the Kentucky Wildcats, where he began 0-for-3.

However, the weight was finally lifted off his shoulders on Friday, as the highly talented middle infielder sparked a late rally with a bases-clearing double in the eighth before the Gators ultimately walked off the Wildcats in the ninth.

“Oh my gosh. Felt great, especially in the spot, just anything to help my team get going there, and it felt absolutely amazing,” Lawson said.

THE LAW CLEARS THE BAGS ⚖️⚖️

🎥 SECN+ pic.twitter.com/pnO0CP0oPg
— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) May 9, 2026

Before that base knock, Lawson managed just eight hits in his previous 58 at-bats, including hitting 0-for-18 leading up to his eighth-inning double. However, his mental focus at the plate never wavered.

"I feel like, even through this stretch, like I've been putting balls in play," Lawson said. "I've just been getting some unlucky bounces here, and I was just trying to simplify, just go back to just trying to put a good swing on the ball, and it worked out."

That mindset paid off when Florida needed him the most.

Lawson looked shaky at the beginning of the duel with the Wildcats pitcher, quickly falling behind in the count at 1-2. Nonetheless, Lawson seared the next pitch over the third baseman and into left field, which, combined with the left fielder's poor attempt to field it, led to him clearing the bases and ending on third base.

"Huge knock right there for him, scoring three runs, huge momentum," Gators outfielder Kyle Jones said after the win. "I mean, he deserved this. So, I'm very happy for him."

Added head coach Kevin O'Sullivan: "Everyone struggles. Everyone goes through things like that. You just have to stay with it. You never know which hit is going to be the one to get you going. Obviously, the hit he had in the eighth was a huge one for us at that point in the game."

Then, a wild pitch from the Wildcats on the first pitch to the next Florida batter allowed Lawson to scramble home to tie the game at six apiece. His energizing swing ultimately shifted all the momentum in Florida's favor, which fueled the hosts in the final frame.

A one-out double from catcher Karson Bowen, an intentional walk to infielder Cade Kurland and a two-out walk to outfielder Jacob Kendall loaded the bases for Jones.

And, it did not take long for Jones to capitalize on the situation at hand, who sent the second pitch he saw into left field to secure the 14th SEC win of the season.

"There wasn't a doubt in anyone's mind that we were going to take that game there," Lawson said. "We had all the momentum.”

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