“Mark Light Magic” was well and truly in the air Tuesday night as the No.23 Miami Hurricanes secured a 13-inning 8-7 walk off victory over the UCF Knights.
It looked bleak for UM, no-hit through six innings and down 5-0 with most of the fans exiting the stadium for the concurrent basketball game at the Watsco Center.
But this team had no quit, chipping away to send it into extras as those same fans returned to fill the stadium and watched from the parking garage in right field.
And with a 3-1 count, and the Mark Light faithful on their feet late into the night, Vance Sheahan would have his moment.
A 406-foot walk off 2-run homer, to give the Canes an improbable comeback victory.
“It was an out of body experience,” Sheahan said postgame. “With the fans in the crowd…the people lined up in the parking lot… you could feel it.”
The Canes were coming off a historic opening weekend against Lehigh, scoring a program record opening series 57 runs against the Mountain Hawks. On the other side, UCF had an incredible weekend of their own, outscoring Siena 44-1 over their three game set.
Lyndon Glidewell got the nod for the Canes, but his outing would last under four innings, as the Knights would tee off for six hits and four runs off the Austin Peay transfer, capped off by an Andrew Williamson 2-run shot in the fourth.
Meanwhile, the Canes bats had no answer for Knights hurler Matt Sauser, who sat down the first nine Hurricanes in order. Sauser would toss six innings of no hit ball, allowing just one base runner while on the bump.
But despite only being on 69 pitches, UCF head coach Rich Wallace opted to pull Sauser and look to the bullpen — a fatal move.
Down 5-0 entering the seventh, JD Arteaga’s side was kept in the game through a fantastic performance from the bullpen. The combo southpaws, freshman Jack Durso and redshirt junior Jake Dorn, would allow just one hit through four innings, giving Miami’s bats a second life.
On a full count pitch with two outs in the bottom of the eighth, Jake Ogden would break the Canes into the ballgame with a 2-run blast and put some life into the Miami dugout.
The bats would come back up in the ninth, where the Knights would turn to Chandler Dorsey for the save. However, the only thing saved was Miami’s hopes, as Dorsey would hit four out of the first six batters he faced, bringing the Canes within two runs.
With the bases loaded and two outs, Mikey Torres represented the last gasp of hope for the Hurricanes, and the young sophomore would deliver, ripping a 2-RBI single into left-center, sending the game to extras.
Preseason All-American Ryan Bilka would take the hill for Miami in the 10th, giving UCF the lead once again thanks to a DeAmez Ross sac-fly.
But when the Canes needed it most, “Danny Dingers” delivered.
Daniel Cuvet would blast a 435 foot shot over the wall in left-center, knotting it up at 6-6.
As Jai Lucas and the Hurricanes secured their victory at the Watsco Center, the fans flooded to the Light as the game went into its fourth hour, watching from wherever they could get an eye on the game, lining the outfield fences, student sections, and the parking garage beyond the wall in right.
The game would go into a 13th inning where UCF would again regain a one run advantage.
With the game on the line, freshman backstop Alonzo Alvarez would lead off the frame with a double. After a strikeout from Brendan DeGoti, up stepped USC Upstate transfer Sheahan, who sent the Canes faithful into madness.
His walkoff homer propelled Miami to a 4-0 record, while UCF was handed their first loss of the season.
The Canes will be back in action Wednesday night as they host the Sycamores of Indiana State.