As Louisville storms the field after clinching their sixth Men’s College World Series appearance, Miami sits in a state of two worlds after a 3-2 loss in game three. On the one hand, they were playing with house money, a team that was not expected to even make it past the regional round. On the other, an internal belief that the standard at Miami is Omaha, a belief it was their job to uphold said standard.

It was a typical winner-take-all affair, with both sides trading blows and unwilling to kneel to the other. 

With only one run separating the dueling ACC sides, it came down to a seventh inning RBI single by Louisville by Eddie King Jr. that fell just past the outstretched arm of Miami’s center fielder Mikey Torres.

Just like in the regional decider which sent Miami to supers, graduate transfer Reese Lumpkin got the start for the Hurricanes. And once again Lumpkin did his job, shutting down the Louisville lineup through the first time of the lineup and limiting damage through his second, only allowing two runs through four and two-thirds innings.

Lumpkin was matched up against freshman Ethan Eberle, a lefty who battles far beyond his years, and the pair coasted through the opening two innings, consistently generating weak contact as they worked through the lineup.

That was until freshman Mikey Torres provided a spark at the bottom of the lineup, lacing a single to center in the top of the third as Miami looked to strike first. And with two strikes and two outs, Max Galvin came through, launching a two-run homer down the right field line, sending the Hurricane faithful into a frenzy with a 2-0 lead.

But just like in Saturday’s game, this Louisville team always finds a way to comeback.

The Cards’ threatened in the third with runners at the corners, but Lumpkin was able to escape the jam by striking out the red-hot Jake Munroe. However the ’Canes were not as lucky in the fourth as Louisville tied it up with some quality small ball. It began with Garret Pike laying down a beautiful bunt down the third base line before being driven in with an RBI double by Zion Rose, before Rose himself was driven in with a fielder’s choice.

Lumpkin’s day was done, exiting for lefty Rob Evans who was able to escape the inning still tied at 2-2.

With a tie ballgame heading into the fifth, the game essentially reset into a five-inning shootout, with the winner headed to the College World Series. 

But with the momentum on the UL side, they threatened again in the fifth. Starting with a single by leadoff Lucas Moore, Louisville had an immediate threat to score with Moore’s top of the line speed. Evans was able to get the following out, but head coach J.D. Arteaga opted to bring in “Fireman” Will Smith to get out of the inning.

Smith’s outing didn’t begin as hoped for Arteaga with back-to-back walks being issued, but in typical “Fireman” Smith fashion he promptly got out of the inning with a strikeout and groundout, rallying the dugout as he charged off the mound.

Momentum now on Miami’s side, the ’Canes had energy going into the sixth as Galvin led off with a single that knocked Eberle out of the game. Now entered Jake Shweitzer who was able to get the opening out of Daniel Cuvet. But two walks followed and loaded the bases for Renzo Gonzalez. Yet even with a rattled pitcher, Gonzalez made the ill-advised decision to swing on a 2-0 count and grounded into an inning-ending double play.

Both pitchers settled in their second innings of work as Smith struck out the side in the bottom of the sixth and Shweitzer threw a scoreless inning himself to start the seventh.

But despite Smith’s uncanny ability to escape jams, he wasn’t able to escape the seventh unscathed. After a two out single by Munroe, a wild pitch allowed him to advance to second, 90 feet that would become crucial as he would score on a single by Eddie King Jr., taking a 3-2 lead with two innings to play.

The Hurricanes mustered up a fight in the ninth as they threatened to tie the game, but as the fly ball hit the glove of Moore’s glove in center, Miami’s season came to a close.

A season of highs and lows, from being 15-15 to winning five straight ACC series to ending the season 1-6 and being run-ruled in the opening round of the ACC tournament to winning the Hattiesburg regional to make Miami’s first super regional appearance since 2016. This team fought, this team battled, but most importantly this team embodied what it meant to be a Miami Hurricane.