UM ousted by UF from College World Series 10-2
The Gators had one huge inning in their first College World Series matchup with rival Miami.
Wednesday, Florida had two smaller — yet just as effective — outbursts in ending the Hurricanes’ season with a 10-2 victory at TD Ameritrade Park.
Florida will hang around the CWS a little longer after beating the Hurricanes for the second time in five days and outscoring them 25-5 in the process.
Miami, which gave up 11 runs in Saturday’s fourth inning, heads for home as its season comes to an end at the hands of the Gators for the fourth time since 2009.
The Hurricanes (50-17) have lost eight straight postseason games to Florida during that span. Miami also lost four of five to the Gators this year, but none hurt as bad as Wednesday.
The Gators (51-17) wasted little time against starter Enrique Sosa as Harrison Bader became the first player since 2008 to lead off a CWS game with a home run.
Bader’s shot to center was a blast, but more fireworks were to come.
After sitting the next two batters, Sosa gave up a single to JJ Schwarz before surrendering a two-run home run — this one to the right — to Buddy Reed.
Miami coach Jim Morris and pitching coach J.D. Arteaga obviously saw enough as No. 1 starter Andy Suarez began warming up in the bullpen.
Although Miami would have loved to save Suarez for a Friday matchup with Virginia, Morris decided to clamp the situation and brought in Suarez for the second.
The Gators now take on the Cavaliers (41-22) on Friday.
If Virginia wins, it heads to the championship round for the second straight year; a Florida win Friday forces a second game against Virginia on Saturday.
After a 28-pitch second, Suarez settled in and put Florida down in order in both the third and fourth innings.
As was the case Saturday, Florida’s second time around against Suarez was the difference.
Bader led off the fifth with a double, moved to third on a bunt single from Richie Martin, then came home on Josh Tobias’ infield single.
Suarez, with runners on and no outs in the inning, was done.
Danny Garcia was summoned from the bullpen but the Gators did a little more damage, making it 5-0 on an RBI infield single (no one was covering first) from Reed.
With two outs, Jeremy Vasquez cracked a double down the right field line to make it 7-0.
Had Miami’s charter flight not have been summoned before, it probably was soon after the four-run fifth.
The Hurricanes didn’t get their first run until it was 8-0 in the sixth as Christopher Barr came home on a David Thompson grounder and George Iskenderian walked home on the subsequent throwing error.
Both teams had numerous scoring chances after the top of the first — although Miami countered in its side of the first with three swinging strikeouts.
With Suarez fresh to the game, Florida loaded the bases with two outs in the second, but Tobias flew out to left.
Iskenderian gave Miami a great scoring chance by getting UM’s first base hit off Alex Faedo (6-1) by leading off the fourth with a double to left.
Iskenderian was stranded at third when Jacob Heyward — the hero of Monday’s 4-3 win over Arkansas — struck out looking.
Heyward was 0 for 4 with a pair of strikeouts Wednesday after moving up to seventh in the Miami order. Heyward and shortstop Brandon Lopez switched spots, with Lopez dropping to ninth.
This story was originally published June 17, 2015 at 11:21 PM with the headline "UM ousted by UF from College World Series 10-2."