LOUISVILLE, Ky.– In a back-and-forth battle, the Miami Hurricanes (35-26) edged out the Louisville Cardinals (39-22) by a final score of 9-6 in game two of the NCAA Louisville Super Regional Saturday afternoon. The victory evened the series at one game apiece and moved the Hurricanes within one win of a trip to Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska, for the College World Series.
Reliever Carson Fischer (5-1) earned the win after tossing 3.1 innings of one-run ball out of the bullpen. Closer Brian Walters recorded the final six outs to notch his 11th save of the year.
Louisville’s Jack Brown (5-5) was tagged with the loss after allowing a go-ahead RBI single in the sixth.
Miami struck first in the bottom of the second, stringing together a solid offensive sequence. Tanner Smith drew a walk after an eight-pitch at-bat, and designated hitter Jake Kulikowski followed with a single through the right side, advancing Smith to third. Freshman Michael Torres then delivered an RBI single to left, putting the Hurricanes on the board, 1-0.
However, the Cardinals stormed back and answered in the top of the third. Lucas Moore drew a walk and stole second, then Matt Klein advanced Moore to third with a groundout to first, and Zion Rose followed with a game-tying RBI single to center. On the next pitch, Eddie King Jr. launched a two-run homer to left-center, giving the Cardinals a 3-1 lead.
After retiring the Hurricanes in order, Louisville added to its lead in the fourth as Jake Munroe belted a solo home run to left, pushing the Cardinals’ advantage to 4-1.
But Miami was able to fight back in their next trip to the plate, notching four runs in the fourth frame. Derek Williams reached on a fielding error by the shortstop and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Renzo Gonzalez. After a flyout, Kulikowski ripped an RBI single up the middle to score Williams, which cut the Louisville lead in half, 4-2.
Michael Torres followed with a single to center, and Jake Ogden capped the rally with a 411-foot three-run homer to left field, putting the Hurricanes back into the driver’s seat, 5-4. Ogden had a monstrous day at the plate, as the Homestead, Fla., native went 3-for-5 with three RBI, including a momentum-shifting three-run homer in the fourth.
Two frames later, King Jr. returned to the plate for the Cardinals and delivered a deep solo home run to tie the ball game at five.
Like in the fourth, Miami responded with its own offensive attack. In the bottom of the sixth, Dorian Gonzalez Jr. led off with a double to right and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Williams on the next at-bat. After a Louisville pitching change, Renzo Gonzalez came through with an RBI single through the left side, bringing home Gonzalez Jr. and putting Miami back into the lead, 6-5.
Miami found their much-needed insurance runs in the bottom of the seventh, powered by the bat of Daniel Cuvet.
Torres got the inning going with a single through the left side, and Max Galvin followed with a base hit to right, setting the stage for Cuvet. On a 1-0 pitch, the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native turned on a fastball and launched a towering three-run homer over the left-field wall — his 18th of the season. The blast ignited the Hurricanes’ dugout and pushed Miami’s lead to 9-5, giving Cuvet yet another big moment in a standout sophomore campaign.
Louisville chipped away in the top of the eighth. Alex Alicea led off with a double down the right field line, and Lucas Moore followed with an RBI single up the middle to bring the Cardinals within three.
Moore stole second and Ryan Klein drew a walk to put two on with no outs, but Miami reliever Brain Walters remained composed, including a flyout to right, a groundout to short, and a flyout to center that helped the Hurricanes escape the jam and secure the victory.
Miami and Louisville will meet in game three on Sunday at noon, with the winner punching their ticket to the College World Series. Live coverage will be available on ESPN and WVUM 90.5 FM.
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