Third baseman ties Miami freshman single-season home run record
CHARLOTTE — The Miami Hurricanes baseball team is known for its rich history.
Tuesday afternoon, Daniel Cuvet became a part of it.
Cuvet clobbered two home runs, matching the Hurricanes’ freshman single-season record, to propel 11th-seeded Miami to an 8-5 win over seventh-seeded Louisville at Truist Field.
“He’s a special player. From Day One, you could see the pure power he has. You can compare him to some of the all-time big names, but the special thing about him is he enjoys the game and learns at-bat to at-bat and pitch to pitch” head coach J.D. Arteaga said. “All in all, it was just a big win. We did a great job coming out and setting the tone in the top of the first inning. Obviously, a must-win game for us. We have to win this tournament to get into the NCAA Tournament. Every game is like a Game 7.”
The third baseman belted a pair of three-run homers in both the first and seventh innings, which marked his 22nd and 23rd blasts of the year.
His second shot of the day not only proved to be the difference for the Hurricanes (26-29), but also tied Cuvet with UM Sports Hall of Famer Pat Burrell for the freshman single-season record.
“It’s an honor to tie a guy like that,” Cuvet said. “Everyone knows how legendary he is. It’s an honor and I just want to keep this going. I try and take things one day at a time and it’s been helping me a lot.”
On the mound, left-handers Rafe Schlesinger (5-5) and Myles Caba (4) combined to keep the Cardinals (32-24) in check, holding off a late Louisville rally.
Schlesinger scattered three runs on six hits across 5 2/3 innings. The junior struck out five batters and didn’t issue a walk in the victory.
“I was mixing it up in the zone,” Schlesinger said. “I was able to go up and down, inside and outside. I’m a guy who sinks the ball and has a lot of run. I was able to keep it down and keep them off balance.”
Meanwhile, Caba went the rest of the way, punching out five batters over the final 3 1/3 frames.
In the win, four of the first five Hurricanes in the lineup finished with multi-hit performances, highlighted by Cuvet and right fielder Lucas Costello. Costello finished 2-for-5 with a solo in the sixth.
Up next, Miami meets second-seeded Clemson for a spot in the ACC Baseball Championship semifinals. First pitch is slated for 11 a.m. Thursday.
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