After bouncing back from their midweek loss to FIU with a win against Boston College on Friday, the Miami Hurricanes looked to make it four ACC series wins in a row. That mission was successful after a 13-4 demolishing of Boston College Saturday afternoon.
The bats that were quiet yesterday woke up in a big way today, with 16 hits from 10 different players on the day. Shortstop Jake Ogden led the way with three hits, as the Brooks Wallace Award watch list nominee raised his batting average to .329 on the year.
The pitching side also deserves credit, as freshman righty AJ Ciscar produced his longest start of his career, going seven innings and only allowing two runs with nine strikeouts.
The ’Canes opened up the scoring in the first after loading the bases with a pair of singles and a walk, which meant a hit-by-pitch on Bobby Marsh brought in the opening run of the game for Miami.
Boston College immediately answered back with a strong inning of its own as a two-run homer from Gunnar Johnson gave the Eagles the 2-1 lead. But from then on, it was the Ciscar show, as over the next six innings, he allowed only two more hits while racking up seven strikeouts.
And the Hurricane offense rewarded Ciscar handsomely, putting up nine runs in the remainder of his outing to provide more than enough insurance for Miami.
UM retook the lead in the top of the second as a pair of singles and a sacrifice bunt put runners at second and third before a fielder’s choice and a Daniel Cuvet double brought them in. Cuvet himself scored on a wild pitch that inning.
Miami extended its lead to 6-2 in the fourth with two sacrifice flies before adding another pair in the top of the fifth with a sac fly from Mikey Torres and an RBI double from Jake Ogden, who dealt damage again in the seventh with an RBI single. A Max Galvin double brought him in to score.
Ciscar bowed out in the bottom of the eighth, as Miami led 11-2, and Boston College tacked on two unearned runs against senior Will Smith after a throwing error in the infield.
But even though this blemish already meant little, pinch hitter Gaby Gutierrez made sure it meant nothing, as he launched a two-run homer for the ’Canes in the top of the ninth before Jackson Cleveland closed out the game for Miami.
The Hurricanes have now won four ACC series in a row and look to complete back-to-back ACC sweeps as they head to Fenway Park tomorrow.