NC State Forces Rubber Match as Miami Drops Game Two
RALEIGH, N.C. – The Miami Hurricanes baseball team (33-13, 13-10 ACC) dropped the second game of Friday’s doubleheader, 13-6, at Doak Field. The Wolfpack’s three runs in the second and seven in the fifth helped force the decisive rubber match on Saturday.
NC State starter Cooper Consiglio (3-3) earned the win, allowing two runs on three hits across 6.0 innings, while walking three and striking out nine. Rob Evans (8-3) was charged with the loss for Miami, allowing four runs on three hits across 3.2 innings. He walked four and struck out four.
NC State opened the scoring in Game Two as Christian Serrano hit a three-run home run to left field after two batters reached on walks, jumping out to a 3-0 lead.
As Miami’s bats only tallied two hits through four innings, the Wolfpack capitalized in the fourth as Luke Nixon launched an RBI double to right field, moving the score to 4-0. In the fifth, NC State blew the game wide open, starting with a sacrifice fly from Brayden Fraasman, widening their lead to 5-0.
The Wolfpack then drew a bases-loaded walk, added another on a Miami error, and tacked on a run with an RBI walk before a wild pitch brought home another run. The inning was capped by a two-run play on another Miami error, extending NC State’s lead to 11-0.
Miami put together a big seventh inning, scoring six runs to try to dig into the NC State lead.
Freshman Gabriel Milano drew a bases-loaded walk to score fellow freshman Donovan Jeffrey, and Fabio Peralta followed with another walk to bring home Jackson Hugus. Jailen Watkins made it three straight RBI walks, forcing in Brandon DeGoti. Michael Torres then added an RBI groundout to plate Milano before Alex Sosa capped the inning with a two-run single, scoring Peralta and Watkins to make it 11-6.
But NC State added two insurance runs in the bottom half of the inning on a bases-loaded wild pitch and walk.
The Hurricanes will look to take the series on Saturday, with first pitch scheduled for 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN2 and WVUM 90.5 FM.
To stay up to date with the University of Miami baseball team, be sure to follow @canesbaseball on Instagram, X and Facebook.
