Miami Hurricanes crush Columbia to move a game away from Super Regional return

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The University of Miami baseball team (33-24, 15-14 ACC) rolled past fourth-seeded Columbia (30-18, 16-5 Ivy League), earning a 14-1 victory Saturday evening at Pete Taylor Park. Senior Dorian Gonzalez Jr. powered the Hurricanes’ offense as the Miami native went 3-for-4 at the plate with two home runs and a career-high eight RBI.

“I’m hitting behind one of the best hitters in the country (Daniel Cuvet),” Gonzalez said. “I have to keep hitting like I did tonight in order to keep us going throughout this tournament.

“We came here to do a job, and we’re going to finish it with game 3 (against Southern Miss on Sunday at 7 p.m.).”

Miami right-handed pitcher Griffin Hugus (6-7) earned the win for Miami as the junior surrendered eight hits, allowed just one run, walked one, and struck out nine across nine innings.

“I told coach Laz (Gutierrez, pitching coach) pre-game they’d let me go nine innings as a joke,” said Hugus, who threw 123 pitches. “I was pumped to go nine, save the bullpen. That was my mentality today.

“The defense was amazing – two double plays to end innnings, the play at third from Cuvet and in the outfield. It makes it easy to pitch when your defense is playing like that.”

Columbia starter Thomas Santana (5-4) took the loss after surrendering four runs on six hits over two innings of work.

“It’s a big win – this winner’s bracket game puts you in a good position,” coach J.D. Arteaga said. “(Hugus) came through for us today.”

The Hurricanes opened their second game of the NCAA Tournament with an offensive outburst, plating four runs in the first inning.

Jake Ogden and Max Galvin started the attack with back-to-back singles before the sophomore Cuvet ripped a two-run double down the third-base line, giving Miami an early 2-0 lead. Cuvet, who homered in the opening game on Friday against Alabama, advanced to third on the throw home as Columbia attempted to catch Galvin at the plate.

Senior co-captain Dorian Gonzalez Jr. followed with an RBI single to left on an 0-2 pitch, scoring Cuvet. Derek Williams added a base hit to continue the rally, but Renzo Gonzalez grounded into a double play that moved Gonzalez Jr. to third.

With his two RBI in the first inning, Cuvet became just the sixth Hurricane in program history to reach 80 RBI in a single season. He joins an elite group of Miami Hurricanes that has accomplished the feat, including Aubrey Huff, David Thompson, Jason Michaels, Darren Mandel, and Mike Fiore.

During Tanner Smith’s at-bat, Columbia starter Thomas Santana threw a wild pitch, bringing in Gonzalez Jr. to score.

By the end of the frame, Miami had tallied four runs on five hits.

While Columbia tried to keep up with Miami with its four hits in three innings, Miami’s defense stayed locked in to keep the Lions off the board a third of the way through Saturday’s contest.

In the top of the fourth, Columbia began to chip away at its early deficit. Anton Lazits put the Lions on the board with a solo home run over the left-field fence, cutting Miami’s lead to 4-1.

But the Hurricanes responded with authority in the bottom half of the inning, showcasing the same relentless attack in their opening frame. 

With two outs, Ogden delivered a single into left field, and Galvin followed by lacing an RBI double into the right-center field gap, scoring Ogden, who sprinted from first base. 

After Galvin’s RBI double, Columbia intentionally walked Cuvet, placing runners on first and second with two down. That decision brought Gonzalez Jr. back to the plate — and he made fourth-seeded Lions pay for it. 

On the first pitch, Gonzalez Jr. launched a three-run homer to right-center, clearing the wall with ease and reigniting the Miami dugout. The shot marked his ninth long ball of the year and pushed the Miami lead to 8-1.

Two innings later, Max Galvin added to the Hurricanes’ offensive showcase with a home run of his own. The junior outfielder crushed a solo shot to left, pushing Miami’s lead to 9-1 and continuing the momentum.

The Hurricanes weren’t done.

In the seventh, Dorian Gonzalez Jr. delivered the exclamation point on a career night. With the bases loaded and a 3-0 count, the senior unloaded on a pitch and sent it soaring over the fence for a grand slam. The no-doubt blast capped off a historic performance for the Miami native and widened the Hurricanes’ advantage to 13-1.

Freshman Michael Torres capped off the victory with an RBI single up the middle, cementing the Hurricanes’ 14-1 win.

“We practiced hard all week (after being quickly eliminated at the ACC Tournament) – J.D. said it was one of the best weeks of practices we had and it showed this weekend,” Gonzalez said.

With the win, Miami advanced to a regional final for the first time since 2022 and will look to secure its first super regional berth since the 2016 season. The Hurricanes will face either top-seeded Southern Miss or fourth-seeded Columbia on Sunday evening at 7 p.m. eastern time.

“The staple of this program is to get to Omaha every year,” Gonzalez said. “We’re here making a statement this weekend we want to get back to that Omaha mindset.”