Power homers from Fabio Peralta and Alex Sosa fueled a dominant 8-2 victory over Boston College, propelling the Miami Hurricanes into a high-stakes semifinal showdown against Georgia Tech.
Miami, FL. – The Miami Hurricanes reached a step closer to ending a 17-year ACC Championship drought in baseball, eliminating Stanford in the second round. However, the Boston College Eagles presented a bigger challenge in the quarterfinals. Both programs are familiar with one another, facing off at Mark Light Field in early March. The Hurricanes lost the series; there was a chance for redemption on a bigger stage.
Coach J.D. Arteaga stood with the same starting lineup as Tuesday, keeping freshman Dylan Dubovik at designated hitter. Sophomore right-handed pitcher Lazaro Collera would start on the mound, with a fresh bullpen behind him, including senior righty Lyndon Glidewell.
In all three regular-season matchups, the Hurricanes scored the first run of the game. This time, it was the Eagles who threw the first punch, two runs early. However, the Hurricanes responded by putting up four runs on the board, including a home run by sophomore center fielder Fabio Peralta and senior second baseman Jake Ogden reaching home plate off a wild pitch. The baseball traveled 344 feet and had a 91 exit velocity.
It was Peralta’s first home run of the year and it couldn’t have come at a better time.
After a scoreless third inning, the Hurricanes ended the drought with junior catcher Alex Sosa homering deep to left center field, adding two extra runs to the scoreboard and the lead. It was the 21-year-old’s 17th of the year, reaching 374 feet of distance, and a 98 exit velocity.
The game went scoreless for a couple of innings, but the Hurricanes managed to squeeze out two more runs to secure an 8-2 victory. There were opportunities to ramp up the scoreboard with a couple of bases-loaded situations, but the team was unable to fully convert.
Collera finished with a strong performance after a shaky start: five innings pitched, three hits and two runs allowed, four bases on balls, four strikeouts, and 73 total pitches. He's up to four wins on the year.
Peralta had the biggest offensive performance: three hits in five at-bats, a run scored, two runs batted in, and a home run.
The Hurricanes will advance to the ACC Tournament semifinals. In Tuesday’s media availability, coach Arteaga revealed that sophomore righty AJ Ciscar would start on the mound in that situation. They will get a full day's rest on Friday before facing the biggest competition in the ACC, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
Both teams never faced each other throughout the regular season.
It will be the Hurricanes’ biggest test of the year, ahead of the NCAA Tournament. The pitching staff has begun to make strides, along with improvements from the infield’s defense. The Hurricanes will need all the momentum to potentially pull off an upset and reach the ACC Championship.
- Can Miami Hurricanes baseball coach J.D. Arteaga end the program’s championship drought?
- The Miami Hurricanes basketball program is reportedly scheduled to open the upcoming season against an in-state rival.
- Several Miami Hurricanes baseball players earned All-ACC honors, including a few first-timers.
- Coach Mario Cristobal believes the Miami Hurricanes should face an in-state rival every year.
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Anthony Aguirre is the Miami Hurricanes beat writer for Roundtable Sports. Contact info: [email protected] | 305-987-3290 | Follow on Instagram/X: @AnthonyA_Sports
