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Miami Drops First Series of 2022 Season
CORAL GABLES, Fla. â After splitting the first two games of the series, the No. 22 Miami Hurricanes fell to the 14th-ranked Florida Gators, 11-3, Sunday afternoon at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field.
Miami (8-3) took Game One, 5-2, but the Gators (10-3) bounced back to win the three-game set, outscoring the Hurricanes by a combined 19-4 margin over the last two contests.
âWell, just a disappointing loss to say the least. We didnât do anything very well starting on the mound.â Miami head coach Gino DiMare said. âYou walk 14 guys thatâs not a formula for success. We fell behind there 7-1 and it felt like we werenât giving very good at-bats.â
In the defeat, eight different Hurricanes combined for 14 free walks, including eight in the final three innings. Miami used 10 different pitchers, beginning with third-year right-hander Jake Garland (2-1).
âWe gave them opportunities with the 14 free passes, you just canât do that,â DiMare said. âThe game just got away from us.â
Florida raced out the gates in the series finale, totaling three runs in the first frame.
Second baseman Colby Halter led off the matinée with a base hit, extending his hitting streak to 15 games, dating back to last season. Center fielder Jud Fabian followed with an RBI double, putting the Gators ahead, 1-0.
One batter later, right fielder Sterlin Thompson stroked a single into left, plating Fabian from second. Left fielder Wyatt Langford kept the line moving, singling the other way.
With two on and nobody out, Florida catcher BT Riopelle laid down a sacrifice bunt, pushing both runners into scoring position. Shortstop Josh Rivera plated Thompson from third with a sacrifice fly, capping off the three-run first frame.
Rivera cushioned the Gatorsâ advantage in the third, bringing home Fabian with a groundout.
Miami left fielder Jacob Burke responded with an RBI single in the bottom half, cutting the deficit to 3-1, but the Hurricanes wouldnât get any closer.
Florida tacked on three runs in the sixth and four over the final two frames to put the game out of reach.
âFridayâs brand of baseball is what we know we are capable of,â Burke said. âThe bottom line is we just didnât play the same brand of baseball the last few days. Credit to Florida, they played well, they came back and I think they wanted it a little more than us. This isnât everything, itâs one series in a long season.â
Right-hander Blake Purnell (2-0) was credited with the victory after pitching 3 2/3 shutout innings in relief.
âI feel like all their pitchers this weekend just came out and attacked the zone,â Burke said. âThey had good stuff, but I think weâre capable of a lot more and we didnât really show that the last few games.â
Next up, Miami hits the road for the first time this season, traveling to face crosstown foe FIU. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday at FIU Baseball Stadium.
âWe better turn the page very quickly,â DiMare said. âWe have a day off tomorrow, but we got to be ready to go Tuesday.â