Miami Drops Series Finale to No. 4 Florida

CORAL GABLES, Fla. — The Miami Hurricanes baseball team fell to the fourth-ranked Florida Gators, 8-4, in front of a sellout crowd at Mark Light Field Sunday afternoon.

“After any game, after any loss, nobody feels good about themselves,” head coach J.D. Arteaga said. “There is not going to be any quit in this team. I’ve said it all along that this week would give us a better idea of where we’re at. We’re obviously not where we want to be. The Selection Show is not tomorrow. The season isn’t over. We know we’ve got to work on some things and get better to get to where we want to be.”

After the Hurricanes (6-5) knocked off the Gators (8-3) Saturday afternoon, Florida responded in emphatic fashion Sunday.

The Gators smacked five home runs, highlighted by Colby Shelton’s seventh career multi-homer performance.

Shelton clubbed a pair of two-run blasts in both the first and ninth to bookend the derby.

In the fourth, junior right fielder Ty Evans and senior shortstop Tyler Shelnut socked back-to-back round-trippers to double the lead.

Florida starter and utility player Jac Caglianone crushed a solo shot an inning later, providing himself with a 5-0 cushion.

On the bump, Caglianone (1-0) recorded a career-high 11 strikeouts across six shutout innings. The junior southpaw limited the Hurricanes to just three hits.

Despite trailing 6-0 heading into the bottom of the eighth, Miami didn’t go down quietly.

Co-captain Dorian Gonzalez Jr. delivered a pinch-hit grand slam to pull the Hurricanes within two.

Shelton’s second home run of the day gave Gators closer Brandon Neely a four-run cushion in the ninth, as the junior locked down the series for the visitors.

Miami starter Herick Hernandez (2-1) was tagged with the loss. Hernandez surrendered three earned runs over five innings, striking out nine batters.

Up next, the Hurricanes welcome Stonehill to Mark Light Field Wednesday. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.

“We’re working our tail off,” Arteaga said. “We’re going to continue getting better and we’re going to keep fighting, every inning, every pitch, every at-bat. It’s right around the corner. We’re going to get to where we need to be.”

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