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
Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold named in Florida court filing
Florida
Video: Injured Florida manatee rescued by authorities, receiving medical care at ZooTampa
FORT MYERS, Fla. – An injured manatee and her calf are recovering after authorities on a boat rescued them from the Orange River near Fort Myers on Thursday.
What we know:
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office said its Marine Unit, Advanced Technology Support Unit, drone pilots and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission helped in saving the pair after the mother was found hurt in the water and in need of medical attention.
READ: Missing Florida man found stuck in mud without food or water for days: PFD
Video shows authorities pulling the frantic manatees safely onto the boat in netting before taking them to shore.
Courtesy: Lee County Sheriff’s Office
Both animals will be taken to ZooTampa for evaluation and medical care.
What we don’t know:
LCSO did not say the extent of the mother’s injuries.
By the numbers:
As of Feb. 20, there have been 85 manatee deaths across Florida in 2026, according to the FWC. Last year reportedly saw a total of 632 manatee deaths.
Dig deeper:
Earlier this month, the FWC began investigating a spike in manatee deaths, specifically in Lee County, where officials say 25 were found dead within a week.
READ: FWC investigating spike in manatee deaths over the past week
The FWC believes these manatee deaths could be from several factors: cold stress, a lack of seagrass and polluted waterways.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Florida
Cuba says 4 killed after speedboat from Florida opened fire in Cuban waters
Trump threatens tariffs on countries that supply oil to Cuba
Trump warned Cuba to reach an agreement with the U.S. after signing an executive order to impose tariffs on countries that supply the island with oil.
HAVANA (Reuters) – Four people were killed and seven others were wounded on Feb. 25 after a speedboat from Florida entered Cuban waters and opened fire on Cuban forces, who returned fire, Cuba’s Interior Ministry said.
All four dead were aboard the Florida-based speedboat, and another six were injured, Cuba said. In addition, the Cuban commander of border patrol boat was wounded, Cuba said.
The wounded foreign attackers were evacuated and received medical attention, Cuba said.
The incident took place amid heightened tension between Cuba and the United States, which has blocked virtually all oil shipments to the island, increasing pressure on the Communist-run government. American forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas on Jan. 3, removing a key Cuban ally from power.
“Faced with the current challenges, Cuba reaffirms its commitment to protecting its territorial waters, based on the principle that national defense is a fundamental pillar for the Cuban state in safeguarding its sovereignty and stability in the region,” the Cuban statement said.
Reporting by Daniel Trotta in Havana.
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