The Hurricanes took to the road for another ACC weekend series and lost it. This time, it was against storied rival Florida State. The NCAA top-ten Seminoles swept Miami. The sweep is Miami’s eighth straight loss against ACC teams. The Canes were close in all three games but did not make enough plays to overcome FSU in any of the three games.
They couldn’t find a way
Earlier this season, no game for the Canes seemed unwinnable. The Cardiac Canes were always able to find a way to claw back into the game. The Hurricanes lost by a combined seven runs over the three-game series and were always one step short. If the pitching was good, the bats could not complement it; if the bats were good, then the pitching was poor.
“Same story, man,” head coach J.D. Arteaga said. “It was a good college baseball game and there were a couple of plays that we didn’t make defensively that cost us three runs. It’s been the same message after every game. We’re playing hard and doing a lot of good things, but we’ve got to clean it up. We have to make those plays.”
Whether it was an attempted comeback in the series finale with a homer in the ninth or a two-home run performance from freshman phenom Daniel Cuvet on Friday, Miami could not do enough to win.
Small mistakes come back to haunt
Miami’s defensive lapses and failures in the bullpen allowed the Seminoles to get back into the game and turn the tide in their favor. Miami’s bullpen has not been a strong suit this season, but in these big games, it’s a team effort, and the team will need their relief arms to be excellent.
“Our bullpen didn’t get the job done,” head coach J.D. Arteaga said. “They had a job to do and put fires out. Florida State did a good job putting pressure on us and getting the first or second guy on every inning. Our guys didn’t come in and shut the door. Kudos to them and a poor job by our bullpen.”
The Hurricanes look to bounce back as they welcome Bethune Cookman to Mark Light Field on Wednesday. This game has a unique theme as it’s the Miami Maniac’s birthday. The first 200 fans to arrive at the stadium will get a free t-shirt. The first pitch will be at 6:00 p.m., and the game will be streamed on ACC Network or available to listen to on WVUM 90.5FM.
All stats and data via ESPN and the Miami Hurricanes unless otherwise noted.