On a pitcher-esque Saturday night at Mark Light Field, Max Galvin’s sixth inning RBI single and 5.1 innings of dominance by the Miami Hurricanes bullpen was enough for UM to beat the Duke Blue Devils 5-4
In the top of the ninth with a one run lead, Miami head coach J.D. Arteaga kept former Sunday starter Brian Walters on the mound to close the game.
After getting two outs on 12 pitches, Walters got Wallace Clark to strike out swinging on an offspeed pitch in the dirt, sending the fans at the Light home happy.
Following the departure of starting pitcher AJ Ciscar in the fourth inning, Arteaga called on graduate student Alex Giroux and Walters to get the remaining 16 outs.
In 3.1 innings of work, Giroux allowed one run on three hits, striking out four batters. Walters took over in the eighth, pitching two scoreless innings and tabbing his first save of the season.
Tied at four in the sixth inning, Miami catcher Tanner Smith singled and was awarded second on a wild throw by Clark. The next pitch, redshirt junior Max Galvin laced a base hit up the middle, scoring Smith to take a 5-4 lead.
The freshman Ciscar toed the slab in Coral Gables for the Hurricanes. In 3.2 innings of work, the St. Thomas Aquinas High School product surrendered three runs on four hits, walking two batters.
After three solid innings of work, the Westin, Fla. native faltered in the fourth. After hitting third baseman Ben Miller, Ciscar allowed three consecutive singles, putting the Blue Devils on the board.
Following an RBI fielder’s choice from Macon Winslow, designated hitter Sam Harris reached on a line drive that went through the legs of Miami shortstop Jake Ogden, bringing in the third runner of the inning.
In the fifth, Duke’s Tyler Albright hit an RBI single to left field, bringing AJ Gracia home from second and tying the score at four.
The Hurricanes struck first in the second. On a 1-1 count, senior outfielder Derrick Williams hit a 364-foot home run over the wall in left field. The outfielder’s solo shot gave UM an early 1-0 lead.
Williams left the game early after hitting himself with a foul ball in the third inning. UM trainers looked at the St.Louis, Mo. native, but let Williams finish his at-bat before pulling him in the fourth.
The Wichita State transfer has been fantastic for the Hurricanes this season, providing the most production at the plate. In 116 at-bats, Williams has a .345 batting average, leading the team in home runs with eight.
With runners on first and third, first baseman Todd Hudson singled to right field, scoring Dorian Gonzalez Jr. and Galvin, extending the Miami lead to three.
In the third, sophomore Daniel Cuvet smoked his sixth home run of the season off the scoreboard in left center field. Cuvet’s solo shot into the Miami sunset went 383 feet.
Junior starting pitcher Andrew Healy got the nod for the Blue Devils, pitching well despite a poor second inning. In five frames of work, the lefty allowed four runs on five hits, striking out five on 84 pitches. After allowing the home run to Cuvet, Healy did not give up a hit for the rest of the game.
The Hurricanes (19-17, 5-9 ACC) look to take their second ACC series of the year in the rubber match game against the Duke Blue Devils (24-13, 9-8 ACC). Freshman righty Tate DeRias will take the bump for UM, facing lefty freshman Henry Zatkowski. First pitch at Mark Light Field will begin at 1 p.m.