Florida
Florida defeats Miami behind late offensive push – The Independent Florida Alligator
Gators sophomore second baseman Cade Kurland walked up to the plate in the seventh inning. Florida led by two and was looking for some extra insurance. With one swing of the bat, Kurland did just that.
The sophomore sent a line-drive home run over the left field wall for his first long ball of the season.
However, the seventh-inning slugfest didn’t stop there.
The very next batter, junior two-way player Jac Caglianone, crushed a home run to the same exact spot to take a three-run lead. The Gators took a 6-3 lead and never looked back.
The No. 4 Florida Gators (7-2) defeated the Miami Hurricanes (5-4) 7-3 Friday night at Mark Light Field.
Florida has scored first in all of its victories in 2024. That trend continued on Friday when Hurricanes freshman infielder Antonio Jimenez misplayed a ground ball hit directly to him. It allowed Kurland to score, and Florida held onto its one-run lead until Miami broke onto the scoreboard in the third inning.
Gators sophomore starting pitcher Cade Fisher looked clean in his first two innings and didn’t allow much commotion on the basepaths. However, Fisher surrendered two consecutive singles to begin the third inning and it began to look dire for the Gators with no outs and two runners on.
A 6-4-3 double play looked like the turnaround that would save Fisher’s outing. But a two-run home run four pitches later gave Miami the lead.
The challenge for the Gators so far in the young season has been fighting back from deficits.
The team proved they were able and quickly stormed back with a two-run fourth inning. Then in the fifth, freshman catcher Luke Heyman added another run with his third home run of the 2024 campaign.
The slips of offense set up for a back-to-back home run sequence between Kurland and Caglianone two innings later.
As Florida’s offense gradually tacked on runs, junior pitcher Ryan Slater dominated against Miami’s lineup.
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Slater wasn’t perfect out of the gate. He entered in the fifth inning for Fisher and plunked a batter, then surrendered a four-pitch walk with the bases loaded to give Miami a much-needed run.
It was a 5-3 game, but that was the last time the Hurricanes saw any offensive production.
Slater pitched the next three innings and flawlessly retired nine consecutive batters. In 3 1/3 innings, he allowed no hits, one walk and struck out four batters.
Florida’s premier closer Brandon Neely entered the ninth inning and closed the curtain on the contest for the Game 1 victory of the weekend series.
The Gators will resume play against the Hurricanes at 3 p.m. Saturday at Mark Light Field. The game will be broadcast on the ACC Network.
Contact Luke Adragna at ladragna@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter @lukeadrag.
The Independent Florida Alligator has been independent of the university since 1971, your donation today could help #SaveStudentNewsrooms. Please consider giving today.
Luke Adragna is a third-year journalism student and the Florida Gators football reporter at The Alligator. He is a cat ethusiast and completes the NYT Daily Mini in less than a minute each day.
Florida
SNAP benefits will be changing in Florida starting Monday
TAMPA, Fla – New SNAP restrictions will start Monday in Florida.
What we know:
These changes will ban the purchase of many sugary sodas, energy drinks, candy and ultra-processed, shelf-stable prepared desserts.
Hunger Free America, an advocacy group, is against these restrictions.
Joel Berg, the CEO, said some regulation is a good thing, but he wants to see it support access to healthy foods as a choice.
“We do support mandates to mandate that healthier food is available in stores that do accept SNAP,” Berg said. “So, it makes a lot more sense to make it easier to get healthier food.”
Berg said these restrictions are unnecessary in achieving a healthier America.
“We should make America healthier again by making healthy food more affordable, convenient and physically available,” Berg said. “We shouldn’t micromanage the eating patterns of adults to try to achieve that goal.”
The other side:
This is part of the Make America Healthy Again initiative.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said, “Under the MAHA initiative, we are taking bold, historic steps to reverse the chronic disease epidemic that has taken root in this country for far too long.”
What they’re saying:
Berg said that these changes, on top of cuts to the program nationwide, will increase hunger.
“It’s not that low-income Americans don’t want healthier food; it’s that they can’t afford healthier food,” Berg said.
This coincides with the announcement that there will be cuts to WIC, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, which supplies food to mothers and young children.
“President Trump’s budget just announced that he’s proposing taking away fruits and vegetables from the WIC program for pregnant women and children under five,” Berg said. “So, they’re taking away healthier food.”
The WIC cuts would take away $1.4 billion in fruit and vegetable benefits from 5.4 million people.
Big picture view:
The SNAP changes come as part of the MAHA movement and include more than 20 other states that will implement changes over the next two years.
The Source: Information in this story comes from WIC, SNAP and interviews done by Fox 13’s Danielle Zulkosky.
Florida
GALLERY: Barrett-Jackson ‘Super Saturday’ takes over South Florida Fairgrounds
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — The engines are revving for one final day of high-stakes bidding and family fun at the South Florida Fairgrounds.
Barrett-Jackson’s Palm Beach auction reaches its grand finale today with an action-packed “Super Saturday” lineup, promising to close out the weekend with a full slate of collector car sales, live entertainment, and fan attractions.
“Super Saturday,” presented by Seminole Casino Coconut Creek, officially kicks off at 8 a.m. when gates, food courts, and the exhibitor marketplace open to the public.
What to expect
- 8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.: The Fantasy Bid presented by Dodge begins early, running in tandem with the automobilia auction in the arena.
- 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.: Thrill-seekers can catch Dodge thrill rides on the Barrett-Jackson Performance Track.
- 10:00 a.m.: New amenities open to the public, including the Stella Artois, Staging Lanes, and Food Court patios, which offer shaded seating and auction views.
- 10:45 a.m.: The national anthem will be performed in the auction arena, signaling the start of the main collector car auction at 11 a.m.
- Afternoon Entertainment: DJ sets run from noon to 5 p.m. across the various patios, and a detailing clinic by Adam’s Polishes is scheduled for 2 p.m. near the South Showcase.
For those unable to attend, the whole event will be livestreamed throughout the day on the Barrett-Jackson website and the HISTORY channel from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Today’s finale comes on the heels of a high-energy Friday that saw significant sales and notable celebrity interest.
Star power was evident throughout the day, particularly with vehicles tied to the Busch family. A 1957 Ford Thunderbird Convertible owned by Samantha Busch and a 1969 Oldsmobile 442 Custom Coupe were among the day’s heavy hitters, each fetching $159,500. Kyle Busch’s 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air Custom Coupe also drew a strong bid, selling for $143,000.
Other Friday highlights included:
- 1968 Ford Mustang Eleanor Replica: $137,500
- 2004 Dodge Viper SRT-10 Mamba Edition: $132,000
- 1972 Chevrolet K5 Blazer Custom SUV: $126,500
- 1957 Ford Thunderbird Custom Convertible: $121,000
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With a festival-style atmosphere and high-profile sales driving momentum, organizers expect a busy crowd for the final push at the auction block today.
Florida
Bodycam captures life-saving rescue of choking baby by Florida deputies
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) — A quiet Monday turned into a frantic race against time when a deputy stepped in to save a choking 1-year-old’s life.
According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a call about a 1-year-old baby choking. Upon arrival, the responding deputy performed life-saving procedures to help the child breathe again.
See also: Two arrested after 6-year-old arrives at Florida school with bruises, deputies say
Body camera video shows a deputy holding the baby, flipping it over on its stomach, and beginning to pat the baby’s back.
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When the baby begins to cry, the deputy is heard saying, “he’s good.”
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