Miami Hurricanes baseball overcomes early deficit but falls late to Virginia in series finale
CORAL GABLES, Fla. — The Cardiac Canes nearly did it again.
Following one of the greatest comebacks in program history the night before, Miami erased a pair of four-run deficits Sunday afternoon.
This time, the Hurricanes came up just one swing short, dropping the series finale to the 13th-ranked Virginia Cavaliers, 14-11, at Mark Light Field.
Miami (9-6, 2-1 ACC) put the tying run on first and brought the winning tally to the plate, but Virginia right-hander Jack O’Connor forced a groundout to salvage the weekend for the Cavaliers (13-3, 1-2 ACC).
With the game tied at 11-11 in the top of the ninth, Virginia first baseman Henry Ford legged out an infield single to push the visitors back in front.
Two batters later, left fielder Harrison Didawick doubled home a pair to provide enough cushion for O’Connor.
Right-hander Matt Augustin (1-0) earned the win in relief, tossing an 1 2/3 scoreless. Meanwhile, Miami redshirt sophomore righty Brian Walters (0-1) was tagged with the loss.
Despite trailing by both 4-0 and 10-6 margins, the Hurricanes didn’t go down without a fight.
Miami scored in four straight frames, highlighted by a four-run sixth inning to level the score, 6-6.
Two innings later, the Hurricanes didn’t just tie the score, but took the lead.
Senior right fielder Lucas Costello crushed a solo shot to pull Miami within one.
After smacking a game-winning grand slam Saturday, sophomore designated hitter Blake Cyr delivered the key hit.
Cyr clobbered a two-run blast over the left field fence to vault the Canes ahead, 11-10.
With a top-15 series victory under their belt, the Hurricanes hit the road for the first time this season, facing Florida Atlantic Tuesday in Boca Raton. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
