CORAL GABLES — For the better part of eight innings, it looked as though Miami would put an end to Florida’s recent dominance in the in-state rivalry.
Then the ninth inning came around.
Trailing 5-3 entering the final frame, No. 1 Florida (10-1) rallied for five runs to beat No. 8 Miami (8-3) 8-5 to complete the weekend sweep and extend the Gators’ winning streak in the rivalry to a series-high 11 games.
“I’ve never been beaten 11 times in a row in anything, including Tiddlywinks,” Miami coach Jim Morris said. “I assure you it’s not something I like or ever expected.”
Miami certainly didn’t expect it in Sunday’s finale.
The Hurricanes were in control for most of the game. Left-handed pitcher Bryan Radziewski tossed 6.2 solid innings and limited a Florida offense that scored 20 runs in the first two games to just three runs, while Miami’s offense jumped on Florida righty Jonathon Crawford early, tagging him for four runs in 4.2 innings.
All that momentum disappeared in a hurry in the top of the ninth, though.
Nolan Fontana led off the inning with a walk and Daniel Pigott got hit by a pitch to put the tying runs on base for junior catcher Mike Zunino, who entered the inning 0 for 3 at the plate and with his 13-game hitting streak on the line.
The reigning Southeastern Conference Player of the Year came through in a huge way for Florida, hitting a bloop double to center field off Miami closer E.J. Encinosa to plate Fontana and Pigott to tie the game and extending his hit streak to 14 games, three shy of his career high.
“I was just trying to put the bat on the ball and try to make something happen for the team,” Zunino said. “I didn't have a great day at the plate, so I was just trying to make something happen and help the team out as much as I could.”
From that point, things only got worse for Miami and its bullpen. Encinosa threw a wild pitch that allowed Zunino to advance to third before hitting freshman Taylor Gushue with a pitch to put runners on the corners with one out. Another Encinosa wild pitch allowed Zunino to score the go-ahead run before Austin Maddox drew a walk.
Morris then pulled Encinosa, who threw 29 pitches, with just 13 going for strikes.
“He’s a great pitcher, but we saw him warm up and he was a little erratic,” Fontana said. “We were just trying to be patient and pick out a certain pitch to hit.”
Miami’s next two pitchers didn’t fare much better than Encinosa. Southpaw Christian Diaz gave free passes to the only two batters he faced, throwing eight pitches, all balls, and walking in the Gators’ fourth run of the inning with Cody Dent at the plate. Adam Sargeant then surrendered an RBI single to Tyler Thompson, the ninth hitter Florida sent to the plate in the frame, before striking out Fontana to end the bleeding.
“I don't know if it snowballed for them, or if we just gained momentum,” Zunino said. “That's all we tried to do. We tried to get momentum and keep it, and we were able to get a few hits and just keep piling on and piling on.”
While Florida’s bats came alive in the ninth, it was the Gators’ bullpen that gave them the late opportunity. Five relievers combined to pitch 4.1 innings without surrendering an earned run. The only run scored against the bullpen was an unearned run against Steven Rodriguez, who threw the ball away on a pickoff attempt at first, allowing Dale Carey to advance from first to third before Peter O’Brien drove him in with a fly ball to left field.
That was the last run Miami was able to score, and just the second run the Hurricanes scored against the Gators’ bullpen all series. Miami had one last chance in the ninth, but failed to score with runners on first and second and one out, as Johnny Magliozzi and Daniel Gibson recorded the final two outs of the game, giving Magliozzi his first career win and Gibson his first ever save.
“I'm awfully pleased (with the bullpen),” Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “We've got some good arms and they need to get better, but they were good this weekend.”
Good was an understatement. For the three-game series, Florida relievers combined to throw 13.2 innings while striking out 18 batters and walking just three against seven hits, shutting down Miami’s offense in crucial moments all weekend.
The Gators’ 11th straight victory against their in-state rivals, and just their second ever sweep of Miami in Coral Gables, left a bitter taste in the mouths of Hurricanes players, who hope to see Florida in the postseason for the fourth year in a row.
“They're good, but they're beatable,” Radziewski said. “Coming down toward the end of the season, I hope we'll be playing our best baseball and we'll have our redemption.”
Etc.: O’Sullivan said freshman left-hander Bobby Poyner will make his first start on Tuesday night against Florida Atlantic. … Josh Tobias recorded the first extra-base hit of his career to lead off the seventh inning before scoring two batters later on a controversial play at the plate during which he was originally ruled out before umpires convened for three minutes and overturned the call, ruling that O’Brien never had the ball when he made the tag. …Florida used 15 different position players and six different pitchers in the series finale.
Contact Tom Green at tgreen@alligator.org.
