Hurricanes Take Down Crimson Tide in Tournament Opener

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The University of Miami baseball team (32-24, 15-14 ACC) opened NCAA Tournament play with a 5-3 victory over second-seeded Alabama (41-17, 16-14 SEC) Friday evening at Pete Taylor Park. The Hurricanes struck early, building a four-run lead behind a two-hit effort from sophomore third baseman Daniel Cuvet, including a three-run home run in the first.

Freshman right-hander AJ Ciscar earned the win for Miami, improving to 6-1 on the season. The ACC All-Freshman Team honoree turned in a strong postseason debut, tossing seven innings while allowing three earned runs on six hits. Ciscar struck out eight and walked one across 97 pitches, 66 of them for strikes.

Alabama starter Riley Quick (8-3) was tagged with the loss after surrendering five earned runs on eight hits over six innings. The right-hander struck out six and walked four on 108 pitches.

The Hurricanes opened their 50th NCAA Tournament appearance with an offensive outburst. Leadoff hitter Jake Ogden reached on a five-pitch walk, and Max Galvin followed with a deep single to right-center, moving Ogden to third.

With runners on the corners, Cuvet stepped to the plate and, on a 1-2 count, launched a three-run homer to give Miami an early 3-0 lead.

In the top of the third, Cuvet returned to the plate and ripped a leadoff double into left-center for his second hit of the game. After Alabama retired the next two batters, Renzo Gonzalez delivered an RBI single up the middle, scoring Cuvet and extending Miami’s lead to 4-0.

The Crimson Tide responded in the fourth, plating three runs to cut into Miami’s lead. Brady Neal put Alabama on the board with an RBI groundout, and Brennen Norton followed with a two-run double down the left-field line, trimming the deficit to 4-3.

Junior outfielder Max Galvin sparked Miami’s response with a solo home run in the fifth inning, adding a key insurance run for the Hurricanes. The blast, his sixth of the season, left Pete Taylor Park in a hurry and stretched the Miami lead to 5-3.

Following Ciscar’s exit, the Hurricanes turned to their bullpen, which delivered 2 2/3 shutout innings to seal the victory. Carson Fischer recorded two outs in the eighth before handing the ball to left-hander Rob Evans, who struck out the only batter he faced to end the frame.

Closer Brian Walters shut the door in the ninth, securing his ninth save of the season. The right-hander faced four batters and retired three, striking out one in a 29-pitch effort that included 19 strikes.

“We played good defense, made good pitches and had quality at-bats,” head coach JD Arteaga said. “It felt like we had a chance to score in every inning and put pressure on them. Overall, it was a solid game from start to finish.”

Miami will face the winner of the Southern Miss and Columbia matchup in the winner’s bracket, with first pitch set for Saturday at 9 p.m. ET.

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