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Following an impressive come-from-behind victory against the Knights of UCF on Tuesday night, the offense struggled through the first three innings, managing only one base runner in the second. The bats awakened in the fourth inning, led by Michael Torres with an opening single. The momentum persisted two batters later when Alex Sosa lined a single through the right side of the infield, placing runners on the corners. Derek Williams then delivered a sacrifice fly to center, breaking the scoreless tie. With one run on the board, Alonzo Alvarez hit a double to right, giving the Canes a 2-0 lead. The Sycamores fought back in the fifth, tying the game at two. Once again, the bullpen kept Indiana State in control for the rest of the game. The victory was secured in the eighth inning when the struggling offense finally found its rhythm, with two home runs by Alonzo Alvarez and Derek Williams. To prevent a late rally, JD Ryan Bilka was brought in to close out the game.
Following last night’s game and an unfortunate mishap, there were notable changes to the lineup. Alonzo, who finished 2-3 with crucial hits in extra innings, earned the starting position behind the plate, batting sixth, while Alex Sosa took on the DH role. Max Galvin, who injured his ankle in the 10th inning, was replaced by Fabio Peralta, who started in left field batting ninth. His injury status remains uncertain; if surgery becomes necessary, Max could be out for approximately six weeks or more, depending on the severity of the injury. Freshman Sebastian Santos-Olson was called to start on the mound.
Sebastian kept Indiana State scoreless as our struggling offense tried to find its rhythm at the plate. Over three innings, they managed only a single hit in the second by Williams. It wasn’t until the fourth inning that they connected for a pair of hits, including a sacrifice fly, to take a 2-0 lead. However, that advantage was brief, as the Sycamores responded with a two-out RBI double in the fifth, ending Sebastian’s outing at 88 pitches. Brixton Logren came in to finish the inning, but not before giving up a hit that tied the game at two.
With Sebastian’s departure and Brixton finishing the inning, it was time to call on the bullpen to secure the victory. With four more games scheduled this week, JD wisely used a pitcher for only one inning. This decision not only preserved the bullpen but also, through the effective combination of Collera, Evans, Bradley-Cooney, and Bilka, limited the opponents to just two hits and a walk.
Similar to last night, the wake-up call came late, this time in the 7th inning. Alonzo Alvarez, one of the standout players from the previous night, launched his first home run of the season to left field, a 352-foot shot that broke the scoreless tie. Daniel added an insurance run in the 8th inning with an RBI double, and the icing on the cake came two batters later when Derek Williams hit his third home run of the season, a deep 383-foot shot to left, increasing Miami’s lead to 6-2. Our closer, Ryan Bilka, needed only 13 pitches to seal the victory.
Offensively, run and hit production was lower than usual. Nonetheless, the team completed the game successfully, thanks to Derek Williams and Alonzo Alvarez, each going 2-3 with a home run and a total of 5 RBIs between them. Daniel Cuvet also made a key contribution with his insurance RBI double in the eighth. The team maintained strikeouts below 10, finishing with 7, and posted a batting average of .258.
They get a well-deserved rest on Thursday before starting a demanding four-game series against Lafayette, with Saturday featuring a doubleheader. It will be a true test of endurance, especially for the bullpen, which will see maximum use. Hopefully, by the end of Sunday, the record will remain undefeated. First pitch on Friday is at 7 PM.
