BATON ROUGE, La. (Interstat) — The Florida Gators open a three-game Southeastern Conference series against LSU on Thursday evening at Alex Box Stadium/Skip Bertman Field, seeking to solidify their postseason positioning against a Tigers team fighting for survival.

Florida (34-18, 14-12 SEC) enters the contest on a high after taking two of three from Kentucky last weekend, capped by a 9-6 victory Sunday. The Gators have won five of their last six games overall. LSU (29-24, 11-16 SEC) is reeling after being swept by Georgia, including a 12-1 loss in seven innings Sunday that extended the Tigers’ losing streak to four games.

First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. CDT under clear skies with temperatures near 82 degrees.

The Gators bring a versatile weapon in two-way player Caden McDonald. The sophomore did it all against Kentucky: He pitched 4 1/3 hitless, scoreless innings with six strikeouts and also went 2 for 3 with a home run and two RBIs in the same game. Over his last five outings on the mound, McDonald has allowed zero earned runs across 7 1/3 innings while striking out 10. At the plate, he has hits in four of his last six games, including a 4-for-5, two-homer, six-RBI performance at Oklahoma on May 2.

LSU counters with right-handed reliever Grant Fontenot, who has been inconsistent of late. He allowed one earned run over one inning in Sunday’s loss to Georgia but threw three scoreless innings with four strikeouts in a win over South Carolina on May 2. Over his last five appearances, Fontenot has a 4.50 ERA with 14 strikeouts in 10 innings.

Florida’s offense has been potent recently, averaging 8.5 runs per game over its last six contests. Center fielder Hayden Yost homered and drove in three runs in Sunday’s win. The Gators are 16-7 on the road this season.

LSU has struggled both at the plate and on the mound during its losing streak, being outscored 37-17 in the four defeats. Shortstop Steven Milam went 1 for 3 in Sunday’s loss, one of few bright spots.

The computer model from Interstat projects a 6-5 Florida victory.

The teams continue the series Friday and Saturday, both at 7 p.m. CDT.