Any momentum UF had built up after a 5-0 start was swept away by Miami on Sunday afternoon.
The No. 24 Gators lost to the Hurricanes 16-2 at McKethan Stadium, their worst defeat since Vanderbilt thumped them by the same score in Gainesville on April 2, 2006.
"I really didn't see this one coming today," UF coach Kevin O'Sullivan said. "I thought we would come out and play well. I'm not quite sure I remember a game like this for a long time."
UF (5-3) narrowly lost the first two games of the series 8-5 and 2-1, but the Gators couldn't keep the final contest close after falling behind early.
Freshman Nick Maronde made his second career start, missing his spots early and often. He left the game in the fourth inning with two outs and the bases loaded, after surrendering 4 runs in the inning.
Miami first baseman Harold Martinez led off the fourth with a home run for the first run of the game. Six runs, three hits, three walks, a hit batter and an error later, freshman Justin Poovey finally recorded the third out for the Gators.
"We were ready to go from the get-go, and once they jumped out to a lead, we just rolled over," UF senior Brandon McArthur said.
O'Sullivan used five pitchers, and only one of them, Jeff Barfield, who pitched the ninth, was able to keep Miami from scoring a run.
The Hurricanes (6-1) put at least 1 run on the scoreboard in five different innings.
"When the wheels fell off in the fourth, they fell off for everybody," O'Sullivan said. "We just didn't get anything out of the pen today."
The offense wasn't exactly on fire either.
Miami starter Iden Nazario held UF in check over his five innings of work, striking out seven while allowing just 2 runs on two hits.
"He threw everything over the plate early and challenged guys," Miami coach Jim Morris said. "He established himself in his second start as a pitcher, and those types of starts will keep him in the rotation."
The Gators struggled at the plate all weekend and wasted a solid Saturday start from freshman Alex Panteliodis. The Hurricanes held them to just 1 run Saturday, though UF recorded nine hits.
O'Sullivan said his team failed to put good swings on the ball in hitter's counts, chased pitches that were out of the zone and rolled over sinkers from the Miami pitchers.
The second-year coach has used a different lineup in each of UF's games thus far and plans to keep moving players around until he finds a productive order.
The weekend's frustration finally boiled over in the seventh inning Sunday when right fielder Riley Cooper slid into second base to try to break up a double play.
The umpire signaled Cooper out and ruled that he interfered with Miami second baseman Scott Lawson. The batter was then also ruled out, and Cooper was ejected from the game.
Cooper exchanged shoves with Lawson and Miami left fielder Jonathan Weislow before UF's bench cleared and cooler heads prevailed.
"It was just the heat of the moment," Lawson said. "He slid kind of late and his momentum carried him past the bag. No big deal."
