No. 23 Gators score winning run on balk to take series from No. 22 Hurricanes

CORAL GABLES — Ryan Bilka came in to relieve Rob Evans, who put two runners on in a 4-4 game after a strong outing. Bilka walked the first batter he faced.

Then he struck out Jacob Kendall. He followed that by striking out Kyle Jones. One more out, and he would have escaped the bases-loaded, no-out jam.

Bilka induced a fly ball to center field that Mikey Torres tracked down. He celebrated. Then third-base umpire Travis Carlson sent the Hurricanes back to the field. He called a balk on the play. The inning would continue with the Gators up by a run.

Miami could not get another run, and Florida got insurance runs. The Gators took the three-game series with an 8-4 victory over UM at Mark Light Field on Saturday night. Florida has beaten rival Miami in the last five series they have played and 11 of the last 12 series the teams have played since 2015.

The Hurricanes struck early. After UF allowed an infield single and an error, Miami right fielder Derek Williams hit a three-run home run to left-center field to give UM a quick 3-0 lead.

Miami pitcher Rob Evans had a relatively easy first inning but ran into trouble in the second. Three successive Gators singled to start the inning, loading the bases with no outs. Freshman Sam Miller drove in a run with a single to right field, and junior Kyle Jones drove in two more with a double into the left-field gap. A fourth run came in to score on a wild pitch, and the Hurricanes’ lead was quickly erased.

Evans bounced back from his rough second inning, striking out the next seven batters he faced. Between the second inning and the seventh, he retired 13 consecutive batters. He finished the game with 12 strikeouts.

Miami evened the score at four when center fielder Michael Torres doubled, reached third on a wild pitch and scored on a shallow sacrifice fly by Daniel Cuvet.

Evans’ night came to an end after he started the seventh inning with a walk and a hit by pitch. Bilka replaced him and nearly escaped the inning without any damage — but then the third-base umpire called the game-deciding balk.

Gators first baseman Ethan Surowiec hit a three-run homer in the ninth inning, giving Florida breathing room to close out the game in the bottom half of the inning.

The Gators and Hurricanes play the final game of the series at 1 p.m. on Sunday.