Despite explosive hitting and grand slams, the Miami Hurricanes tumbled down the ACC standings as a struggling bullpen surrendered double-digit runs and a crucial series to the NC State Wolfpack.
Miami, FL. – The Miami Hurricanes baseball program had its six series win streak snapped after losing two of three games against the North Carolina State Wolfpack. Despite strong offensive outings, the team’s pitching staff failed to contain batters. After losing the series, the Hurricanes drop to the fifth seed in the Atlantic Coast Conference standings. They were surpassed by the Florida State Seminoles, who currently hold the final double-bye slot in the conference tournament.
The Hurricanes played the first two games of the Wolfpack series on Friday night due to weather issues on Sunday.
In the series opener, right-handed sophomore pitcher Lazaro Collera started on the mound. The Hurricanes were off to a strong start, earning a 6-0 lead at the end of the third inning. However, the game flipped for the worse afterwards. Collera walked a couple of batters before the Wolfpack punched the scoreboard with a run scored in the bottom of the fourth.
The score was 6-5 before the Miami native was pulled from the mound. Left-handed freshman Sebastian Santos-Olson took over, but allowed three more runs before the fourth inning came to an end.
The Hurricanes were on the brink of a complete collapse until left fielder redshirt senior Max Galvin hit a grand slam in the seventh inning, which eventually led to a 12-9 victory. However, there was no leaving Doak Field at Dail Park as another game was immediately played.
It marked the return of left-handed senior pitcher Rob Evans after suffering an ankle sprain in a Friday night matchup against the California Golden Bears. He had been the Hurricanes' most reliable player on the mound throughout the season. However, as the team’s offense went silent for the majority of the second game, Evans couldn’t contain the Wolfpack’s batters.
The 22-year-old allowed four earned runs in 3.2 innings pitched. Evans’ performance didn’t live up to expectations, resulting in an early retirement. Left-handed freshman Jack Durso took over on the mound, but immediately allowed three more runs, followed by four more from left-handed freshman Lonzo Drummond.
The Hurricanes faced a 7-0 deficit entering the seventh inning. The offense managed to find a late spark, scoring six runs, but it wasn’t enough to complete a comeback, resulting in a 13-6 loss.
Both teams were able to rest before the final matchup of the series on Saturday night. Right-handed sophomore pitcher AJ Ciscar got the start on the mound. Despite allowing a couple of runs in the second inning, the 20-year-old showed resilience against the Wolfpack batters.
The Hurricanes led 7-6 before Ciscar was pulled in the bottom of the seventh inning. After a couple of pitching changes, the game was out of reach after designated hitter junior Sherman Johnson hit a grand slam to eventually secure the game and series.
The final score was 12-7.
Whether it’s walking too many batters or giving up hits, the Hurricanes’ pitching staff has experienced ups and downs throughout the season. They managed to contain the bleeding enough throughout the six previous series. The team has seven games remaining on the regular season schedule, including a couple of ACC series against the Louisville Cardinals and Seminoles.
The margin of error is very thin moving forward, especially for the Hurricanes’ pitching staff, as the battle of inconsistency continues.
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