So far this season, the 16th-ranked Hurricanes have shown strong arms, surprisingly scorching bats and stunningly shaky gloves.
All that added up to a 6-4 loss Sunday to 23rd-ranked Florida, which avoided a three-game sweep at Mark Light Field. Miami swept UF in 2008 and 2009 but has not done so since.
UM (4-3) nearly climbed out of a four-run first-inning hole, but two errors in the fourth led to two more Gators runs and proved to be the difference.
Through seven games, no ACC team has more errors (18) than the Canes. They made two Sunday and six in the three-game series with UF, which didn’t need the help Sunday.
The Gators (5-3) produced six hits off UM starter Andrew Suarez (1-1) in the first inning, with Taylor Gushue, Peter Alonso, Braden Mattson and Ryan Larson knocking in runs.
With the Canes down 4-2 in the fourth, UM third baseman David Thompson threw away a sacrifice bunt attempt, leading to an RBI groundout by Casey Turgeon. Then, catcher Garrett Kennedy couldn’t connect with first baseman Brad Fieger on a dropped third strike and throw to first. The play would have ended the inning, but the error let UF’s sixth run (Buddy Reed) score from third.
UM coach Jim Morris said he was concerned, calling both “very easy plays” the players needed to make.
“We’re strong mentally, so I’m not worried about the errors,” said senior center fielder Dale Carey. “We’re going to overcome that, and we’re going to come back even harder against Florida State next week.”
Before that series begins Friday in Tallahassee, UM has an exhibition game against the Miami Marlins in Jupiter (1:05 p.m. Wednesday).
Carey’s third-inning homer was UM’s seventh of the year, which leads the ACC and is half as many as the Canes had in 62 games last season. Fieger, Thompson and Tyler Palmer singled home runs.
UM’s new-look offense made it an interesting final frame.
With two on and one out in the bottom of the ninth, UF lefty Danny Young, a St. Andrew’s grad, struck out pinch-hitter Sebastian Diaz. That was after Diaz ripped a ball down the third-base line that, if it landed fair, might have tied the score.
The ball was “maybe this far foul,” Morris said, holding his thumb and forefinger an inch apart. “I can tell you that because of the ball mark beside the base.”
UF brought in right-hander Eric Hanhold to face Carey. He induced a game-ending fly out for a one-out save.
Florida had 11 hits and used seven pitchers including starter Karsten Whitson, who allowed two earned runs in three innings.
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