On a beautiful Tuesday night in Boca Raton, the Miami Hurricanes were searching for a victory against the FAU Owls after getting swept in Winston-Salem over the weekend. After blowing a four-run lead, Miami came back winning 6-5.
In the top of the eighth, with the score tied at five, Dorian Gonzalez Jr. stepped up to the plate trying to give Miami its lead back. With two runners on and one out, Gonzalez took Max Martzolf’s fastball to left field, allowing Derek Williams to score from second.
In the bottom of the eighth, Will Smith was given the ball to hold the lead at one. With a runner on first and two out, Smith struck out Ayden Garcia. Letting his emotions run high, Smith fired up the Miami dugout, roaring as he walked off the mound.
Miami head coach J.D. Arteaga let Smith go for the six-out save. With Marshall Lipsey at first and two out, the runner took off. Tanner Smith’s throw to second was a little low, but Gonzalez made an incredible pick to get Lipsey out and end the ballgame.
Will Smith came up big for the Hurricane bullpen, throwing 33 pitches and striking out three batters in the final two frames.
Last time the two schools met, it was a depressing 2-0 ballgame in Boca Raton in which no runs were scored on base hits and UM totaled zero extra-base hits. Tonight, it was a back-and-forth thriller.
Miami got the scoring going right away, helping starter Reese Lumpkin settle in early. On the first at-bat of the game, Jake Ogden laced a double over the head of the center fielder Lipsey. After a bunt single, Daniel Cuvet put UM on the board with an RBI sac-fly.
In the second inning, Dorian Gonzalez added to the Miami lead, pulling a two-run home run over the wall in right field.
In the third, Cuvet launched a ball 406-feet deep into the trees in center field. The third baseman’s fifth home run of the season plated two runs, extending the Miami lead to 5-1.
Cuvet had himself a big night at the plate. The Fort Lauderdale native went 2-for-4, tallying three RBIs in the process.
After scoring five runs in three innings, the ’Cane bats fell silent, getting shutout on two hits in the next four innings.
Despite the comfortable lead, Lumpkin struggled finding the zone. His outing was still solid, giving Miami a starting pitching performance they have been needing since ACC play began.
Lumpkin finished the night striking out three batters, surrendering four runs on four hits, while walking three in five innings of work. He threw 91 pitches, with 52 as strikes.
FAU (17-4) slowly chipped away from Miami’s four-run lead. In the third inning, while trying to complete a double play, Dorian Gonzalez threw the ball over the head of Renzo Gonzalez, letting an Owl run come in to score. The next batter, John Martinez, smoked a double past a diving Max Galvin, cutting the deficit to two.
After Lumpkin’s night was done, Arteaga turned the ball over to AJ Ciscar in a one-run ballgame in the sixth. Five pitches in, Ciscar hung a breaking ball to John Schroeder, who took his second home run of the day over the wall in right, tying the game at five.
After dropping six of their last seven, the Hurricanes (13-9, 0-3 ACC) continued to show fight throughout the entire game this evening, even after blowing a four run lead. With a solid bullpen performance, where Ciscar and Smith only allowed one run, Miami hopes the pitching can return to its old form.
Entering tonight, UM’s pitching staff had given up a combined 65 runs in its last seven games against Connecticut, UCF, and Wake Forest.
Miami will need to be near perfect this weekend, as they welcome fourth ranked Florida State (18-2, 3-0 ACC). The first game of the three-game set will be on Thursday at Mark Light Field. Nick Robert is slated to toe the slab in Coral Gables against the Seminole lefty Joey Volini. Thursday’s game will be at 7 p.m on the ACC Network.