Lawson Leads the Way, Nadeau Shines Against Former Team as Florida Snaps Three-Game Losing Streak

Brendan Lawson matched a career-high with five RBIs and was one of three Gators' to hit a 3-run home run as Florida won 16-4 over Jacksonville.

The Florida Gators dominated Jacksonville on Tuesday to snap a three-game losing streak. | Kyle Lander / Gators Illustrated

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- The Florida Gators baseball program may have hit the jackpot with its high school recruiting in infielder Brendan Lawson, who tied a career-high with five RBIs as the team downed Jacksonville, 16-4, Tuesday at Condron Ballpark.

Lawson, who went 3-for-4, was one of three Gators to hit a three-run home run on the night, smacking on in the third inning for his fifth home run of the season. He added a two-run double an inning later to put the Gators ahead 7-2.

Wednesday's performance also marked his sixth game this season with multiple RBIs.

"He doesn't swing and miss very much, and he had a great night at the plate. A really good night at the plate," UF head coach Kevin O'Sullivan said. "A bunch of guys did."

Brendan Lawson accounted recorded the second game of his career with at least five RBIs in the Florida Gators' game over Jacksonville. | Kyle Lander / Gators Illustrated

Ty Evans had first put Florida on the board with an RBI single in the second inning, his third RBI in two games, and Colby Shelton added his own RBI single in the fourth inning prior to Lawson's home run.

Meanwhile, outfielder Justin Nadeau, who spent the first two seasons of his career with Jacksonville, shined with four RBIs, including a three-run home run off the scoreboard in right field in the fifth inning, marking his first home run of the season.

"I try to stay true to myself, especially with the way I play the game," Nadeau said. "I just try to do my job, put up competitive at-bats, put the ball in play. Just got the right pitch at the right time, took a good swing at it and felt really good off the bat."

Landon Stripling added another three-run home run in the sixth to give the Gators a 12-4 lead and put Florida in run-rule territory.

Nadeau scored Evans two batters later with a fielder's choice before Shelton scored him with his second RBI base hit of the night. Bobby Boser rounded out the Gators' runs after scoring off a fielder's choice on a grounder from Luke Heyman.

Meanwhile, freshman righty Jackson Barberi, fresh off a rough outing in relief on Saturday at Tennessee, pitched three innings with three strikeouts against two hits and one earned run, which came off a two-run home run after he had been relieved by Christian Rodriguez in the fourth inning.

"I thought he was fairly efficient," Kevin O'Sullivan said. "The goal was to keep him to about 45 pitches and just get him right back out there after the weekend."

Nike Janssens finished the night with 2.1 innings of work, allowing two earned runs and three hits with three strikeouts.

Cade Kurland Injured

In his first appearance since a shoulder injury suffered on March 1 against Miami, second baseman Cade Kurland's return prematurely ended after the junior left the game in the third inning in the middle of his second at-bat. Drawing a full count, Kurland indicated something was wrong before exiting the game after a visit from O'Sullivan and a trainer.

He was replaced by Brody Donay, who immediately record a base hit, in the lineup as Lawson took over at second base. Kurland finished the evening with a walk and two infield assists.

"The shoulder did not pop out. That's the encouraging thing," O'Sullivan said. "Obviously, if that was the case, it'd be a totally different situation. I just saw him grimace a little bit on the second swing, and there's no sense of pushing it right there. He'll get with the trainers, and they'll have a look at it, but like I said, the most important thing is it didn't pop out. Maybe it's just a little bit too soon."

Next Up

The Gators, which snapped a three-game losing streak after getting swept by Tennessee over the weekend, will remain at home on Wednesday for a matchup against Florida A&M. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. with streaming coverage on SEC Network+.