Florida Gators 8 – Miami Hurricanes 5; Gators Complete Sweep

If you want some excitement in your life, look no further than the No. 1 Florida Gators baseball team. The Gators didn’t necessarily need a win over the No. 12 Miami Hurricanes on Sunday afternoon. Florida had already wrapped up the series and would probably hold on to the top spot in the rankings even with a loss in the finale. Don’t tell the Gators it’s okay to lose though, especially against a rival like the ‘Canes.

The Gators headed into the ninth inning in Coral Gables down 5-3. Then this happened:

Florida 9th – Fontana walked (3-1). D. Pigott hit by pitch (1-0); Fontana advanced to second. P. Tucker grounded out to 2b (2-0); D. Pigott advanced to second; Fontana advanced to third. Zunino doubled to center field, 2 RBI (0-1); D. Pigott scored; Fontana scored. Zunino advanced to third on a wild pitch. Gushue hit by pitch (3-2). Maddox to dh for Magliozzi. Magliozzi to p. Gushue advanced to second on a wild pitch; Zunino scored on a wild pitch. Ramjit pinch ran for Gushue. Maddox walked (3-1). C. Diaz to p for E. Encinosa. Mitchell pinch ran for Maddox. Turgeon walked (3-0); Mitchell advanced to second; Ramjit advanced to third. Dent walked, RBI (3-0); Turgeon advanced to second; Mitchell advanced to third; Ramjit scored. A. Sargent to p for C. Diaz. Thompson singled to right center, RBI (0-0); Dent advanced to third; Turgeon advanced to third, out at home rf to c; Mitchell scored. Fontana struck out looking (1-2). 5 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.

That’s the box score rundown from the top of the ninth. To make things even more wonderfully glorious, here’s the bottom of the ninth:

Miami (Fla.) 9th – Ramjit to 1b. D. Carey grounded out to 1b unassisted (1-1). P. O’Brien walked (3-2). B. Fieger singled to left field (0-2); P. O’Brien advanced to second. E. Tresgallo flied out to lf (3-2). Gibson to p for Magliozzi. C. Mack struck out swinging, out at first c to 1b (1-2). 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 2 LOB.

What that all led to was another Florida win, better known as the 11th in a row over Miami. And oh how the ‘Canes gave this one away. If you didn’t go through the Gators’ half of the inning above, I urge you to go back and look at and realize that, yes, Florida scored five runs on two hits. You’ll take a rally however you can get it. It may not show your offensive power, but a win is a win no matter how it comes.

We could point out the stars in this one, but it was really about each and every player on the roster. As Miami imploded in the ninth, Florida took advantage of every mistake and each bad pitch. Talent will help you add up the wins, but so will playing smart. The Gators took advantage of an awful inning by their opponent by staying alert and playing through until the very end.

The win improves Florida’s record to 10-1 and will keep them at No. 1 for another week. The Gators return home with six-straight games against Florida universities before SEC play begins.

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