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In a closely contested match, Miami, asserting its strength, staged a late rally to clinch the rubber match against the Owls 5-4. In a pitching duel that lasted through five innings, the game was tied at 1-1, with Miami not recording its first hit until the fifth inning. The offense finally sparked in the sixth, as Miami pulled ahead with an RBI double from Dorian. What seemed like a much-needed insurance run in the seventh, courtesy of a Jake Ogden home run, was rendered moot by an eighth-inning rally from the Owls, who managed to reclaim the lead. Reese Lumpkin, despite a rocky start where the Owls capitalized on a misjudged fly ball to left that led to the first score, bounced back strongly in the second, allowing the Owls only a single hit before JD made a strategic switch in the eighth, bringing in Will Smith, who had excelled on Sunday. Unfortunately, this time he faltered, yielding two runs and allowing the Owls to tie the game at four. With runners at the corners, JD opted for Alex Giroux instead of Brian, a decision that proved costly as the first batter he faced lifted a sacrifice fly to right, giving the Owls the lead once more. However, Miami was undeterred and mounted a response in their half of the eighth with a pair of doubles from Dorian and Evan Taveras, interspersed with a sacrifice fly to reclaim the lead. JD promptly brought in Brian to seal the deal, accomplishing it with a mere eight pitches, culminating in a strikeout that secured the series win and effectively silenced the Owls once and for all.
The game began in the most unstable way imaginable. Marshall Lipsey opened with what should have been a straightforward flyout to left, but Galvin misjudged it. Following that, there were back-to-back singles, once again placing Miami in a position where they had to fight from behind. FAU encountered their own challenges in the second inning when their catcher made a critical error by overthrowing third base after a wild pitch while trying to throw out Tanner. Two significant blunders, one from each team, resulted in a stalemate at one.
Despite a shaky start, Reese Lumpkin, Miami’s starter, was untouchable for the next six innings, yielding only one hit. Unfortunately for Reese, the offense was in lockdown mode, unable to produce a single hit until the fifth inning. The one-out double by Michael Torres was the spark the Canes needed to energize and revive their bats.
The 6th inning marked a turning point for the Canes. An RBI double down the right field line let Max score from first, giving the Canes their first lead of the night. Jake added crucial insurance in the 7th by hitting his 4th home run of the year. Reese continued to pitch effectively into the 8th, holding onto a two-run lead. After a single to start the inning, JD determined that at 83 pitches, it was the right moment to turn to the bullpen to close out what had been a well-pitched game. He brought in Will Smith, who was expected to finish strong like he did on Sunday. However, after getting the first out, an RBI double cut the Owls’ deficit to one run. A mental error from Fabio, who misjudged a diving catch in right field, allowed the ball to get past him for a triple that tied the game. Smith struggled further, hitting the next batter and placing runners on the corners. JD should have opted for Brian at that crucial moment, but instead, he inexplicably chose Alex Giroux. This decision was not due to a favorable matchup, as both pitchers are right-handed. It turned out to be a critical error. Instead of halting the rally, a sacrifice fly to right field put the Owls ahead 4-3.
Refusing to let the game slip away, Miami responded with an impressive rally in the bottom half of the inning. Max began with a walk, followed by Dorian hitting his second double of the night, placing both in scoring position with no outs. Tanner faced a 3-0 count and swung at the next pitch, driving the ball deep enough to bring Max home from third while Dorian advanced to the base vacated by Max. With the score tied at four, Evan broke the tie with a double to right-center, securing the go-ahead run.
Without any hesitation, JD brought in Brian to seal the deal. Brian accomplished this in 8 pitches, retiring the Owls in order and securing a hard-fought mid-week victory for the Canes.
Offensively, Miami’s performance was disappointing; they batted only .179 and managed just 1-10 with runners in scoring position. Although they secured five hits, each one was for extra bases—four doubles by Dorian (2), Evan Traveras, Michael Torres, and a home run by Jake Ogden. FAU has consistently posed challenges, utilizing a pitching-by-committee strategy that involved nine different pitchers. Miami’s offense never faced the same pitcher twice, which hindered their performance. It’s imperative that the offense tightens up against a ranked Georgia Tech team this weekend. There is no room for error; Georgia Tech won’t wait around as we keep struggling at the plate.
The absence of Derek Williams from the lineup will be greatly missed, being our leader in HRs and doubles. He had surgery on his hand yesterday, and it is unknown if this was a season-ending injury. This is the opportunity for someone to step up, but the question is who?
The time for the Friday game has changed to 8:00PM rather than the usual 7:00 PM. The weekend rotation is expected to remain the same: Griffin, Ciscar, DeRias.
