No. 10 Florida baseball prevails against No. 17 Miami in dramatic fashion
Chaos unfolded late as a hit by pitch and two walks loaded the bases for Florida. A wild, controversial balk forced freshman outfielder Cash Strayer home, giving the Gators a 5-4 lead in a sequence that swung momentum and the game.
As the No. 10 Gators (11-1) continued the pressure and struck the final nail in the coffin at the top of the ninth with a cracked double, intentional walk and three-run homer from sophomore infielder Ethan Surowiec, they defeated No. 17 Miami (10-2) 8-4 at Alex Rodriguez Park in Coral Gables, Florida.
The first inning was one Florida wanted to put behind it as senior pitcher Rob Evans struck out two Gators at the top of the order. Two errors then opened a lane to third base, setting up a three-run home run by the fifth-year senior Derek Williams.
The Gators quickly adjusted as the middle of the order went a perfect 3-for-3 to open the second inning. The tail end of the order nearly halted the momentum, but once the order turned back over, Florida capitalized. Senior infielder Sam Miller and redshirt sophomore Kyle Jones delivered RBI singles before a fielding error, and a wild pitch plated two more runs, leading Florida 4-3.
From there, minimal action occurred for either side, as strikeouts totaled. Evans threw for seven strikeouts through the first three innings, while sophomore pitcher Aidan King struck out three before retiring for the night. Evans fanned five more Gators in the remainder of the game.
Senior Ricky Reeth was called out of the bullpen to pick up where King finished.
As Florida put up two groundouts, Williams returned to the batter’s box, but unlike the first inning, flied out to center field.
Evans was red hot the whole third and beginning fourth inning as he struck out hitters for his seventh straight strikeout. Yet the Canes couldn’t capitalize offensively as they amounted to two outs and a strikeout.
With two outs and nobody on base, sophomore shortstop Brendan Lawson appeared for his third at-bat but was beaten to first, ending the first part of the fifth frame.
Miami capitalized on a double to left field from sophomore outfielder Michael Torres, who advanced to third from a wild pitch and eventually sprinted to home plate thanks to a sacrifice fly out from junior infielder Daniel Cuvet. The ballpark came alive as junior catcher Alex Sosa and Williams singled, putting runners on base, but Reeth shut down the hype with a clutch strikeout.
He fanned three more for a perfect sixth inning.
Evans snapped his strikeout streak as he hit Strayer on his 99th strike for a 2-2 count. His manager came to the mound to discuss, and Evans was retired by senior pitcher Ryan Bilka.
This was a costly decision, as a hit by pitch and two walks loaded the bases for the Gators. The Hurricanes quickly adjusted tempo and struck out two of Florida’s batters. The Gators only capitalized on one run despite two chances with the bases loaded.
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At the top of the 8th, suffering both a strike and foul out, Strayer added onto his successful night with a strong bomb to right field, missing the fence by just a few feet. Junior pinch hitter Hayden Yost was intentionally walked. The second junior pinch hitter, Landon Stripling, grounded out to first base, leaving the others stranded.
Graduate pitcher Ernesto Lugo-Canchola replaced Reeth early in the seventh inning and finished the night off strong. With his 13th pitch at bat against Cian Copeland, Canchola sent his opponent to the dugout, placing Florida with one more opportunity to increase their lead.
Surowiec did exactly that, and redshirt freshman pitcher Joshua Whritenour came out to close the series for the Gators with two groundouts and a strikeout.
Florida will wrap up the series on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Alex Rodriguez Park in Coral Gables, Florida.
Contact Ethan Feinberg at [email protected]. Follow him on X @thefeinline.
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Ethan Feinberg is a senior sports journalism student and the Spring 2026 men’s tennis reporter. He has previously written stories and produced audio sessions for WRUF, covering high school football. Ethan enjoys watching and playing sports like football and basketball, working out, fishing, cooking, and having a good laugh with his friends and family. His favorite sports teams are the New England Patriots, Miami Heat, Florida Panthers, and the Miami Marlins. (Drake “Drake Maye” Maye is the GOAT.)
