However things eventually play out in Omaha, the Miami Hurricanes are getting that rare second chance to make a first impression.
Walloped by the Florida Gators, 15-3 on opening night at TD Ameritrade Park, a couple of nail-biters and twists in the College World Series narrative have the Sunshine State rivals poised to go at it again—a one-game season and elimination situation on the line.
Miami knocked off Arkansas in walk-off style on Monday afternoon, behind the one-man show that was Jacob Heyward.
A two-run shot in fifth, a single, stolen base and run in the seventh and a game-winning single in the ninth; the Canes’ number nine hitter ultimately responsible for three of seven total hits against the Razorbacks—keeping Miami alive in Omaha.
Hours later, a unexpected turn of events at Florida bats went cold when running into some quality pitching from Virginia. The Cavaliers shut out the the Gators, holding them to two hits on Monday night, while Virginia got on the board on the sixth, enough for the 1-0 victory.
Two days later, it’s do-or-die for Miami and Florida, with the guys in orange and green seemingly holding a slight upper hand based on how the postseason has played out thus far.
The Gators have owned the Canes as of late, taking 20 of the past 25, while ending Miami’s seasons over the years, be it the Regionals or Supers. This year in Gainesville, Florida took two of three—winning bookend one-run games, while the Canes rolled, 7-2 in-between.
The Gators have rolled through this postseason with relative ease, knocking off defending national champion Vanderbilt in the SEC Championship, breezing through a light Regional and sweeping Florida State in the Supers.
Days back Florida was still a favorite to win it all—a prediction that looked pretty on-the-money late Saturday night, after dismantling Miami behind an 11-run fourth inning. Now in the wake of being shutout by Virginia and the mountain the Gators must climb; a much different situation psychologically and some uncharted waters.
Florida must now face Miami in a winner-takes-all situation when in all reality it expected at worst to see a worn-out bunch of Canes on Friday; with UM needing to take two-in-a-row from a well-rested Gators’ bunch in order to stay alive.
The uphill climb isn’t as uphill for Miami now; at least on paper. Should the Canes top the Gators, it sets up a less-daunting task of taking on the ACC rival Cavaliers—who are playing solid baseball and peaking late in they season, but remain a conference rival that UM has seen four times since mid-April.
Miami dropped two in Charlottesville before getting a Sunday afternoon win to avoid the sweep and the last time the two met, the Canes had a spirited eighth inning rally—scoring seven runs en route to a 9-5 victory in the opening round of the ACC Tournament.
Talking Virginia before even facing Florida is the epitome of getting ahead of oneself, but it should serve as extra motivation for Miami; knowing that a win on Wednesday night end’s the Gators’ season and that a familiar foe awaits. There’s also the style in which “The U” knocked off Arkansas in walk-off fashion which should create a spark and have the juices flowing Wednesday night.
Furthermore, the Canes have already danced with the devil in Omaha and have every reason to play looser than their in-state counterparts. Rolled on Saturday, Miami had all day Sunday and most of Monday to absorb the reality of possibly being two-and-done.
From there, nine innings of elimination baseball followed—the loser earning the distinction of being the first team bounced from Omaha. (Adios, Razorbacks.)
Faced with adversity, Miami persevered; responding after an embarrassing loss to Florida, surviving Arkansas and now getting a shot at redemption against a program that has consistently broken their heart—on neutral ground, with equal skin in the game.
Do the Canes come to play? Do the bats warm up? Can starting pitcher Enrique Sosa bring his best stuff and hang in there for over half the game, stifling a Gators’ squad that is coming off a putrid offensive performance less than 48 hours ago? Stay tuned.
Miami still has to find a way to take care of business against a solid Florida squad; but taking on a potentially tight, wounded team in a ride-or-die situation—it’s the best scenario the Canes could’ve asked for after that round one shellacking.