High Point stunned No. 9 Florida with a 6-2 win Saturday night, clinching a weekend series victory and ending the Gators’ nine-series winning streak.
After winning game one 7-2, the Panthers capitalized on a disastrous third inning. They received a strong outing from right-hander Ty Brachbill to secure the program’s first series win over Florida. The loss also snapped the Gators’ 13-game winning streak and marked their first consecutive defeats of the season.
Florida starter Aidan King entered the night without allowing an earned run in 14 1/3 innings this season, but defensive miscues opened the door for High Point in the third. With two outs, the Panthers scored five unearned runs to take control of the game.
Make it 5️⃣ runs in the inning for HPU‼️#GoHPU pic.twitter.com/96vIme6hrK
— High Point Baseball (@HPUBaseball) March 7, 2026
Jake McCarter started the rally with a single before Willie Ponce scored on a throwing error. Seojun Oh followed with a two-run double to center field, and Jace Kohler added an RBI single. Jack Clark capped the inning with a run-scoring double, giving High Point a 5-0 lead.
King took the loss despite not allowing an earned run. The sophomore surrendered five runs, all unearned, on seven hits over three innings while striking out five.
Brachbill kept Florida’s offense quiet for most of the night. The right-hander worked 6 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out four.
High Point added an insurance run in the seventh when McCarter launched a solo home run to left-center off Florida reliever Schuyler Sandford.
Jake McCarter home-run shot to put the Panthers back on the board💣#GoHPU pic.twitter.com/lCY6ajFbtg
— High Point Baseball (@HPUBaseball) March 7, 2026
Florida finally broke through in the bottom of the seventh. Sam Miller doubled with two outs, and Jacob Kendall followed with an RBI triple to right field. Kyle Jones drove in Kendall with a soft single to right, cutting the deficit to four.
The Gators could not mount another rally. Florida went down in order in the ninth, sealing the Panthers’ series-clinching upset.
Virginia baseball secures opening ACC series win at No. 8 North Carolina
Virginia secured a road series win over No. 8 North Carolina on Saturday, splitting a doubleheader after a dominant 9-2 victory in Game 1 and an 8-7 loss in 12 innings in the nightcap.
The Cavaliers claimed the weekend series after winning the opener Friday, giving Virginia back-to-back series victories in Chapel Hill against a top-10 Tar Heels team dating to 2023.
Virginia controlled Game 1 behind a strong start from right-hander Jay Woolfolk Stammel and a productive offensive performance all around. Sam Harris opened the scoring in the third inning with a two-run home run to left field, his fourth of the season. The Cavaliers broke the game open in the fifth with a four-run inning. Zach Jackson delivered the key hit with a two-run infield single that pushed the lead to 6-0. Virginia added two more runs in the sixth on Joe Tiroly’s RBI grounder that scored Eric Becker and AJ Gracia.
NooooooooooMurrrrrrr Hooooooooomeeeeerrrrr
📺: ACCNX | #GoHoos pic.twitter.com/DlPvfp5sx1
— Virginia Baseball (@UVABaseball) March 7, 2026
Jackson added a solo home run in the seventh to extend the lead to 9-1.
Stammel earned the win after allowing one run on three hits across six innings while striking out four. Reliever Lucas Hartman surrendered a solo homer to his first batter but retired the final nine hitters he faced to seal the victory.
North Carolina salvaged the second game of the doubleheader in dramatic fashion. Virginia briefly took a 6-5 lead in the ninth when Harris doubled home Gracia, but Tyler Howe tied the game with a leadoff homer in the bottom half of the inning.
After two scoreless extra frames, Noah Jouras put Virginia ahead in the 12th with an RBI triple that scored Harrison Didawick. The Tar Heels responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning to walk off the finale.
What a finish 🫨@DiamondHeels walk it off in the bottom of the 12th to avoid the series sweep against Virginia!#NCAABaseball x ACCNX / @11point7 pic.twitter.com/270rhKFzXy
— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) March 8, 2026
Despite the Game 2 loss, Virginia left Chapel Hill with its second straight series victory at North Carolina.
