The Miami Hurricanes lost their weekend series to the No. 8 Florida Gators but found some consolation in the way the three-game set ended. After losing 6-2 on Friday and 6-3 on Saturday, Miami rallied from a four-run deficit to win the finale 13-7 on Sunday at UF’s Condron Ballpark, handing the Gators their first loss of the season.
The final game reflected how the Hurricanes (9-3) had played in their first two weeks, except this time, it was against one of the country’s top teams. UF (11-1) took an early lead, scoring four runs off Hurricanes starter Brian Walters. Bobby Boser and Landon Stripling hit RBI singles in the first inning, while Brody Donay smashed a two-run home run in the third. Miami responded in the fourth with an RBI single from Dorian Gonzalez and cut the deficit to 4-2 when Derek Williams drew a bases-loaded walk.
In the fifth inning, the Hurricanes took control by loading the bases and scoring five runs. Jake Ogden was hit by a pitch, followed by three consecutive singles from Gonzalez, Tanner Smith, and Bobby Marsh. A Renzo Gonzalez double play pushed Miami to a 7-4 lead. The Hurricanes extended their advantage in the sixth with RBI singles from Max Galvin and Ogden and added four more runs in the eighth, highlighted by a bases-clearing double from Marsh, who recorded his fourth four-RBI game of the season.
Walters pitched 4 2/3 innings, allowing four runs on six hits and two walks while striking out four. Carson Fischer relieved him and retired seven consecutive batters before conceding two runs in the eighth. Will Smith took over, escaping a bases-loaded jam with two strikeouts and a groundout. He allowed just one run in the ninth to secure Miami’s victory.
In Friday’s game, Miami took an early 2-1 lead with an Ogden RBI single and a wild pitch that scored Michael Torres. However, Florida responded with two solo home runs in the third and added runs in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings to win 6-2. Starting pitcher Nick Robert went five innings, allowing three runs on four hits and two walks while striking out seven.
On Saturday, Miami starter Griffin Hugus struck out 10 and gave up just two runs in five innings, but Florida capitalized on the bullpen, scoring four more runs in a 6-3 Hurricanes loss. Five of Florida’s six runs came from home runs. Miami remained scoreless until the eighth when Cuvet hit a two-run homer, followed by an RBI single from Gonzalez in the ninth, but their comeback fell short.
Looking ahead, the Hurricanes have a five-game week. They start on Tuesday against FIU at loanDepot Park, home of the Miami Marlins, with a 7 p.m. first pitch. Miami then returns to Mark Light Field to host Villanova on Wednesday at 6 p.m. before facing UConn in a weekend series—Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 6 p.m., and Sunday at 1 p.m.
