ACC SHOWDOWN BETWEEN HURRICANES & SEMINOLES SETS POSTSEASON TONE

A dozen wins in their last 13 tries, ranked second in the nation and one game up in a three-game, regular season-ending road trip to Tallahassee—the Miami Hurricanes are getting in post-season fashion courtesy of a heated rivalry.

Beating on the likes of Florida A&M, Florida Atlantic, Georgia Tech, Bethune-Cookman, Pittsburgh and Florida Gulf Coast helped Miami shake off a home series loss to Virginia, a mid-week setback against FAU and a lopsided road loss to Duke—though the Canes took the series against the Blue Devils.

With the ACC Tournament soon underway, the Regionals looming and Omaha again the season goal—no better way to get the blood flowing than three throw-downs at Dick Howser Stadium.

The Canes took Thursday night’s showdown against the Noles, 4-2—trailing most of the night before pulling ahead in the top of the seventh. Two rain delays coupled with solid pitching were the narrative for Game One; junior Bryan Garcia entering in the ninth and picking up his ACC-leading 13th save of the season.

Offensively Miami wasn’t firing early—good defense going along with solid action on the mound the biggest reasons why—but when the opportunities arose late, the Canes took advantage.

With two runners in scoring position, logic dictated an intentional walk—in this case, putting Willie Abreu on base—setting up the forceout. Instead, junior designated hitter Randy Batista smoked a go-ahead double to left-center, giving Miami the 3-2 lead.

The Canes got on the board in the top of the fifth by way of a Johnny Ruiz triple that sent Brandon Lopez home.

Heads-up play helped Miami nurse it’s one-run lead—thwarting a Florida State rally and snuffing out a squeeze play with runners on first and third, setting up a tag-out at home.

The Canes were the opposite of clutch early-on as freshman pitcher Andrew Cabezas plunked two batters and issued a bases-loaded walk, attributing to the early Seminoles’ lead.

In the top of the ninth, Abreu was inches from a two-run shot but instead settled for a triple, giving Miami a two-run cushion that allowed Garcia some breathing room from the mound.

For the Hurricanes, a regular season finale against the Seminoles is the perfect bookend to an early-season showdown against the Gators—a series where top-ranked Florida took the series. Miami fell 5-0 in the opener and 7-3 in the rubber match, but did squeeze in a 5-3 victory on Saturday night.

The Canes took the top spot from the Gators for a short while this season, but Florida has resumed it’s hold on No. 1 and goes toe-to-toe with eighth-ranked LSU this weekend.

Meanwhile, No. 12 Florida State stumbled into this weekend’s action—licking wounds from dropping a series at Duke last weekend. Prior to that, the formerly sixth-ranked Noles fell to Jacksonville and Florida Gulf Coast, for a season-worst four-game losing streak.

For Miami, an ideal time to rise up and put a wounded animal out of its misery. Florida State will always bring their best, but recent play has proven the Canes are the better squad right now—and when battling Louisville for that top seeding in next week’s conference championship, Miami must seize the moment.

College World Series appearances were once a gimme, while deep postseason runs have been taken for granted. These days, Omaha has become a huge gift when the Canes have made it there—but were quickly run out by the Gators last summer; Florida simply owning Miami for the better part of almost a decade.

Playing up to potential. Smart baseball. Taking advantage of ideal moments and using them as building blocks to success.

Sweeping Florida State is the goal. Winning the series is the consolation. From there, a deep run in Durham next week, though Miami has the horses to win it all.

Host a Regional and dominate. Come to play for the Supers and don’t let a golden opp get away.

From there, simply hope for some back luck regarding Florida—or at least a different bracket this year.

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