Caden McDonald carries Florida to rubber-game victory for series win over Kentucky
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Caden McDonald was determined that Florida was going to win the series on Sunday against Kentucky. The Gator 2-way star played a key part at the plate and on the mound in UF’s 9-6 win over UK.
Florida starter Russell Sandefer was chased in the top of the 4th inning when Kentucky took a 5-3 lead on the Gators. Kevin O’Sullivan turned to McDonald out of the bullpen to stop the bleeding, which he did with a strikeout.
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In the bottom half of the 4th, McDonald gave the lead back to the Gators with a 2-run homer to make it 7-5 UF as part of a 4-run Florida inning.
MACTANI MAGIC 🪄
— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) May 10, 2026
SECN pic.twitter.com/9M8Cmpu03J
After giving himself the lead at the plate, McDonald was determined to keep the Gators in front. On the mound, he settled in for 4 more innings. Over 4.1 innings, McDonald’s only baserunner reached on an error. He did not walk any Wildcats or give up a hit, striking out 6.
Back-to-back Ks for C-Mac
— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) May 10, 2026
SECN pic.twitter.com/0Z1YuoyJnG
The Gators added a couple of insurance runs in the 7th inning to extend the lead to 9-5. O’Sullivan called on closer Joshua Whritenour for the 9th inning. UK managed a leadoff home run, but Whritenour did not allow any more Cats to reach, ending the rally.
UF wins the series 2-1, taking the opener and finale to improve its SEC record to 15-12 on the season. Kentucky is now 12-15 after a 1-2 weekend showing, taking the second game on Saturday night.
Can the Gators get back to Omaha? Kalshi is taking action on predictions to make the College World Series!
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
