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The Cardiac Kids kept the fans on the edge of their seats, defeating conference leaders Georgia Tech with a final score of 4-2 despite facing three errors. To secure a victory in tonight’s game, the Canes had to elevate their performance against Tech’s formidable batting lineup, where only two players boasted averages below .300, and their starting pitcher stood undefeated in five games. Griffin needed to start strong, maintain a low pitch count, and ensure the offense scored runs. Miami faced a significant challenge, yet they excelled on the mound, at the plate, and on the field for the most part. The A team rose to the occasion tonight, setting the stage for a potential series win tomorrow.
Pitching for both sides managed to keep each off the board through two innings. In doing so, Griffin also watched his pitch count reach 39 by the end of the second inning. Miami struck first in the third, aided by three fielding errors. Fabio, leading off, reached first due to a fielding error by the second baseman. Renzo advanced Fabio to second on a sacrifice. Michael Torres hit an infield single to short, beating out the throw to first and advancing Fabio to third. Tech committed their second error when the third baseman’s throw allowed Fabio to score while Torres advanced to third. Tech’s third error occurred a play later when Galvin hit a ground ball to first, resulting in a throw to second and back to first for the double play. Upon review, the call was reversed due to obstruction at first, allowing Torres to score from third. By the end of three, Miami led 2-0.
The fourth inning became a pivotal turning point for Tech, igniting a surge of momentum for the Canes. Back-to-back singles opened the fourth for Tech. A throwing error by Daniel to first base on the second single put runners on the corners. Tech took advantage of Smith’s throwing arm, stealing second base. Four straight balls loaded the bases, and it appeared that Griffin was unraveling and Tech was about to break open the game, much to the fans’ dismay. Griffin dug deep and halted any meltdown, striking out the next three batters.
Miami capitalized on Tech’s demoralizing 4th inning, further intensifying their struggles by adding another run through consecutive singles from Smith and Renzo. Renzo displayed aggressive base running, attempting to take advantage of a lax defense following a Torres single, but was thrown out at the plate while trying to stretch for an extra run at home.
Tech finally delivered with a run in the fifth, thanks to the aggressive running of Drew Burress and a fielding error by Fabio in right. A one-out walk to Burress set the wheels in motion. A single to right put Burress on a mission, and he wouldn’t stop until crossing the plate. He went into hyper-overdrive from first, taking advantage of the mishandling of a single to right. Fabio, not realizing that Burress wouldn’t stop at third, threw to second rather than home, allowing Tech’s initial score and narrowing Miami’s lead to 3-1. The Canes responded in the bottom half of the inning, with Daniel hitting his 8th HR of the year, reclaiming the lead with a three-run spread.
Griffin completed his work in the fifth inning, handing the ball over to the bullpen. Carson Fischer took charge from the bullpen, delivering two dominant innings and allowing just one hit. Michael Fernandez and Jake Dorn made brief appearances, each facing only one batter, both of whom flew out to right field. With a 3-1 lead, JD called on Brian Walters to secure the victory in the eighth inning.
Entering the 8th inning, fans brimming with confidence welcomed Brian to the mound. A brief moment of concern arose when the leadoff batter managed to single, but he wouldn’t advance further. True to expectations, the 9th inning began with a strikeout, but trouble soon followed as the pitch hit the second batter, granting him first base. Tension escalated as Daniel fielded a hard shot, making an impressive throw to second to nab the lead runner. With two outs and a man on first, consecutive singles brought one run across the plate, with the go-ahead run stepping up to the plate. From a place of confidence, doubts started creeping in—was Tech poised for a last-minute comeback to alter the game’s outcome? Brian pushed the count to full before delivering, but the batter’s high drive to center was snagged by Michael, sealing the victory over the 14th-ranked team and current ACC leader.
Miami out-hit Tech .241 to .229. Despite Tech’s 11 strikeouts compared to our 5, their inability to advance runners was critical; they stranded a staggering 12 runners and managed just 1 hit in 10 attempts with runners in scoring position. We seized the opportunity presented by their three errors in the third inning and capitalized with a crucial hit by Renzo in the fourth, followed by Daniel’s home run in the fifth. Michael Torres recorded multiple hits with a 2-3 performance, while Max Galvin contributed a double, making him the only other Cane to achieve an extra-base hit.
Miami’s pitching dominated Tech’s skilled batters, highlighted by Griffin Hugus’s impressive eight strikeouts over 4.1 innings, including a remarkable fourth inning in which he struck out three with the bases loaded. Tonight, the bullpen performed effectively, and our closer sealed the deal.
Tomorrow, it’s round two and hopefully a series win. The first pitch is scheduled for 4:00 PM, with AJ Ciscar set to start.
