The University of Miami baseball team (9-3) took down the eighth-ranked Florida Gators (11-1), 13-7, Sunday afternoon at Condron Ballpark. An offensive barrage of 13 runs in four innings, nine of them being unanswered, resulted in Florida’s first loss of the season and ties the all-time series at 136-136-1.
Right-handed pitcher Carson Fischer (1-0) earned his first win as a Hurricane after entering the game in the middle of the sixth inning. Fischer would then go on to strike out two Florida batters while surrendering two earned runs off four hits, totaling 2.1 innings pitched.
Florida went on the offensive attack right away by scoring two runs in the first and third innings. Bobby Boser’s RBI single and Landon Stripling’s sacrifice fly gave the Gators an early lead, then, two innings later, Brody Donay belted a two-run home run that made it 4-0 Gators.
Miami bats sparked life in the fourth with an RBI single from co-captain Dorian Gonzalez Jr. that drove in Max Galvin, putting the Hurricanes on the board, 4-1.
With the bases loaded, Florida’s Jake Clemente walked in Jake Ogden, cutting the Florida lead in half, 4-2.
In the fifth inning, the Hurricanes erupted against the Gators. What began with Ogden being hit by a pitch in a bases-loaded situation, a costly error that put Miami one run away from tying the game, quickly turned into a slugfest for the visiting Hurricanes squad.
Dorian Gonzalez Jr., Tanner Smith and Bobby Marsh all registered RBI singles with bases loaded. The fifth run from the Hurricanes came from Gonzalez Jr., as the senior infielder reached home in the middle of the Gators turning a double play.
The offensive momentum carried into the sixth as Daniel Cuvet sprinted his way from second base to home plate on a single from Max Galvin, and then Ogden batted in Galvin on a base knock of his own.
Miami brought the firepower back in the eighth inning as designated hitter Bobby Marsh had a stellar bases-clearing double, bringing in three Hurricanes that boosted the lead to 13-4.
Despite a late-game effort from the Gators, right-handed pitcher Will Smith came into the game in the eighth to shut down the Florida opposition — handing the Gators their first loss of the season.
The Hurricanes will face FIU at loanDepot Park on Tuesday, March 4, with first pitch slated for 7 p.m. Those looking to attend the matchup can find ticket information HERE.
