No. 17 Miami Comes Up Short at No. 2 Wake Forest, 4-1

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — The 17^th-ranked Miami Hurricanes baseball team dropped its series finale to the second-ranked Wake Forest Demon Deacons, 4-1, Sunday afternoon at David F. Couch Ballpark.

“Wake Forest is a very good team and they played well the entire weekend,” Miami head coach Gino DiMare said. “They pitched well and they got timely hitting. You have to play a very, very sound game to beat them. We pitched well the last two games, but we didn’t get any timely hitting. Credit to them for how they pitched, but we need to do a better job, especially when we have guys on base. They did a good job of making pitches and we didn’t step up to the challenge in those situations.”

Following a two-hour weather delay, Miami (15-9, 5-4 ACC) struck first, but Wake Forest (22-3, 7-2 ACC) responded with a three-run fifth and held on, as the contest was called after eight innings due to a travel curfew.

In the third inning, junior catcher Carlos Perez pushed the Hurricanes ahead with an opposite-field solo shot. Perez’s co-team-high sixth-home run traveled an estimated 382 feet.

Miami starter Alejandro Rosario (1-3) held the Demon Deacons silent across the first four innings, but yielded two runs in the fifth.

The junior right-hander pitched four-plus frames, surrendering only two hits.

Wake Forest redshirt junior Pierce Bennett continued his hot weekend with a three-run jack, before sophomore Gio Cueto tacked on an insurance tally with a solo homer in the seventh.

Sophomore left-hander Josh Hartle (5-1) struck out nine across six innings of one-run baseball and junior right-hander Seth Keener (1) put on the finishing touches over the final two frames.

The Hurricanes return home Tuesday with a crosstown clash against FIU. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field.

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