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The Eagles continue to soar, defeating the 24th-ranked Hurricanes and winning the final game of the series 9-5. This year’s team’s expectations have been inflated, but the reality is different. A strong team requires solid pitching, and as this season has shown, our bullpen remains inconsistent, especially when facing less formidable opponents. Currently, we have two reliable starting pitchers: AJ Ciscar and Rob Evans. However, we lack a true Sunday starter and a dependable closer. Tate DeRias, who was expected to fill a key role, had a rough outing, lasting only 3.1 innings and giving up five runs, indicating that his role should be limited to middle relief for short durations. If JD wishes to continue using him otherwise, it might be better to deploy him mid-week when mistakes are less costly, allowing him to build confidence—something he seems to lack or perhaps isn’t aware of. A positive takeaway from today’s game is the emergence of Lyndon Guidewell as our potential Sunday starter. He pitched two excellent innings, allowing no hits, walks, or runs and recording 4 strikeouts. It’s puzzling why JD pulled him after a poor performance on Friday in favor of Lazaro Collera. Consistency is key—Guidewell provides the outs and keeps runners off base, while Collera has struggled to do so and has been used in setup or closer roles despite those challenges. Similarly, Ryan Bilka’s preseason hype hasn’t translated into success; he has yet to demonstrate the control expected of a closer—to come in and pitch effectively without allowing damage. While it’s still early in the season, today’s loss to a team expected to finish last in the conference raises questions about the team’s trajectory.
DeRias performed confidently in the first inning, needing only 7 pitches to retire the first three batters faced. Tate displayed excellent control, demonstrating the confidence JD was hoping for to quickly set the tone for the game. Jake led off Miami’s half of the first inning with a walk, and after Torres flew out to center, Cuvet hit a deep double to center field, advancing Ogden to third. Sosa struck out, and a sense of familiar frustration grew as runners remained on base without scoring. Derek Williams, one of our most dependable hitters, turned an 0-2 count into an RBI single, giving Miami an apparent opportunity for more runs. However, Daniel Cuvet’s poor baserunning once again proved costly. He attempted to score on Williams’ hit but was cut down after realizing he couldn’t make it, ending the threat. This isn’t the first time Daniel’s baserunning has hurt the team; he was also caught stealing second in the fourth inning with a runner on third.
Boston responded in the second inning by capitalizing on what should have been a routine out in left field, but the ball was lost in the sun and dropped behind Dubovik for an opening double. They quickly took advantage of the situation with an RBI single to tie the game. Two batters later, Tate hits his first of three batters for the day. With runners on first and second, they execute a double steal without even a throw, setting up their second run on a 5-3 groundout, which Daniel chose to throw to first instead of home. He had the time but opted for the safer out, likely thinking it was early in the game and they could score again later. Miami did not respond in the second and trailed 2-1.
In the fourth, Tate was called for a time violation, resulting in a walk. What Tate didn’t realize was that his time was about to run out. A double followed, putting runners on second and third with one out. Cesar Gonzalez turned a 2-0 count into a three-run home run to deep left, extending their lead to 5-1.
The Miami bats remained quiet after the first inning but finally came to life, in the 4th, batting around and scoring a four-run inning to tie the game at 5. The momentum shifted to start the fourth with a 387-foot homer to deep left by Derek Williams, his sixth. After West struck out, Dubovik drew a walk, and Vance Sheahan doubled to left-center, moving Dylan to third. Fabio hit a shallow single to left, scoring Dubovik and Sheahan. He then stole second on a throwing error, prompting a pitching change. Ogden struck out for the second out. Torres reached base on an error. With runners on the corners, Daniel singled to right-center, driving in the fourth run of the inning. He then tried a flashy steal attempt to lure the catcher into a throw to second, delaying just enough for the runner at third to score. The catcher fell for it, but Daniel was tagged out at second without Michael even leaving the base at third. Whether Daniel was given the green light or made the decision himself, the rally ended with the score still tied at five.
Jack Durso, who relieved Tate in the 4th after the three-run homer, found himself quickly in a jam to start the 5th, walking the leadoff batter who was then picked off 2-3. Following back-to-back walks, his third for the inning, JD didn’t waste time with another pitching change, bringing in TJ Coats. After securing the second out, a shallow single to left scored two, giving the Eagles the lead once again, 7-5. Miami stopped the rally after a single to left, catching the runner from third in a rundown between home and third for the final out of the inning.
Boston scored a run in the 7th on a leadoff homerun and added an insurance run in the 9th with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly to right. Miami then went through three more pitchers after the homer in the 7th. Lyndon Guidewell was the most effective, striking out four in his two innings, and it’s unclear why he was replaced by Collera in the 9th. Collera loaded the bases in the 9th with a single and two walks, prompting JD to bring in Brixton Lofgren. Brixton got the final out, but not before the Eagles scored another run with a sacrifice fly to left.
After the 4th inning, when the Canes had tied the score at 5, there was only silence from the Miami bats until the 8th, when they had the bases loaded on two walks and a single, only for Daniel to ground out to the pitcher 1-3. Trailing by 4 in the 9th, they ended the game and series, going down in order with Williams and West both striking out, shocking the fans with the lackluster performance from both the offense and the pitching.
Miami outhit the Eagles 10-9 but left 10 on base, unable to move the train, while the Eagles had better luck. Miami’s 4th inning was the only inning that looked like the team everyone expected, but for the rest of the game, it’s the same old story that is so often heard: the bats fail to deliver. Three batters with multiple hits: Jake Ogden, Daniel Cuvet, and Derek Williams, all with two hits. Daniel and Vance Sheahan each had doubles, and Derek Williams hit a solo home run.
This was supposed to be the warm-up series that laid the foundation for the rest of the season. Instead, it served as a reality check, revealing that we are not as strong as we believed, and that our team needs to improve significantly in fielding, hitting consistently, and finding reliable pitchers. Losing to a team expected to be at the bottom of the conference at the end of the season is discouraging, and it doesn’t inspire confidence about what’s ahead. The schedule will only get tougher from here, and currently, we do not seem prepared in any aspect of our game.
Miami will be on the road and won’t return until the weekend series against Creighton on March 20. This Wednesday, we travel to UCF, which will be seeking to avenge their extra-inning loss earlier in the season. After UCF, we head to Duke for a challenging three-game series before returning to the Miami area to play FIU at FIU on Wednesday the 18th.
