A late-inning power surge by Troy shattered the Miami Hurricanes' Omaha dreams, as back-to-back home runs ended a short postseason run in the Gainesville regional.
Miami, FL. – Following a devastating pitching and defensive performance against the Florida Gators, the Miami Hurricanes were on the brink of elimination–one more loss and all Omaha hopes are destroyed. A rematch against the Troy Trojans was set and coach J.D. Arteaga made some changes to the lineup.
Freshman Brandon DeGoti took over at third base, moving fellow freshman Gabriel Milano to designated hitter; freshman Dylan Dubovik took over at center field and sophomore Fabio Peralta was squeezed out.
Both sides started with right-handed pitchers: senior Tommy Egan (Troy) and Lazaro Collera (Miami).
After three early outs, Trojans senior first baseman Blake Cavill scored the first run of the game off senior center fielder Steven Meier’s single to right field. Collera threw good-looking pitches, attacking the strike zone early, but couldn’t put batters away to remain scoreless.
The Hurricanes’ offense was off to a slow start through three innings; only one hit. Senior right-handed pitcher Tommy Egan had 21 strikes in 32 early total pitches, including three strikeouts. Along with strong pitching, the Trojans added another run to the scoreboard off a home run by redshirt senior third baseman Josh Pyne.
It took time, but the Hurricanes found some momentum offensively when junior first baseman Alex Sosa knocked out a two-run homer to tie the game. The baseball traveled 423 feet with a 105 exit velocity. Shortly after, Milano drove in two runs off a single to right field, giving the Hurricanes the lead.
Sophomore right-handed pitcher AJ Ciscar took over the mound for Collera at the bottom of the fourth. The local Weston native is coming off a frustrating outing against the Florida Gators on Saturday night, only lasting 0.2 innings in the first. However, Ciscar started strong; 1-2-3 to close the fourth. Despite facing an early two outs, redshirt senior left fielder Max Galvin punched the scoreboard with a solo home run. The baseball traveled 377 feet with a 97 exit velocity.
It was Galvin’s third home run of the year.
Sosa’s third at-bat kept the Hurricanes’ offensive spark alive–doubling to right field and driving fifth-year senior right fielder Derek Williams home.
However, the Trojans didn’t go down without a fighting effort. Three runs off four hits in the bottom of the sixth, including a two-run homer by junior catcher Jabe Boroff, to tie the game. The Hurricanes failed to immediately respond. Meanwhile, the Trojans went back-to-back on solo home runs to each side of Condron Family Ball Park, regaining the lead.
It later became the dagger to the Hurricanes’ season–a 9-6 loss and official elimination from College World Series contention. Despite no errors on the stats sheet, the defense failed to hold together and the bullpen provided little-to-no stability. Following a cut-short appearance in the Gainesville regional, the Coral Gables baseball program needs ramifications if it truly desires to contend among the best in the nation.
- Can Miami Hurricanes baseball coach J.D. Arteaga end the program’s championship drought?
- Several Miami Hurricanes baseball players earned All-ACC honors, including a few first-timers.
- The Miami Hurricanes basketball program is reportedly scheduled to open the upcoming season against an in-state rival.
- 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
