Miami extends its undefeated streak to 9-0 midweek, with its latest victory over cross-town rival FIU, preserving the Battle of the 305 rivalry and earning bragging rights. The last game at FIU on March 18 ended in a comfortable 10-3 win for Miami. Tonight, the series was secured, though it was a close call—failing to hold a 9-2 lead in the ninth inning. As has been a persistent issue this season, the bullpen once again struggled to perform reliably.

TJ Coats delivered an impressive performance over six innings, striking out a record-high seven batters while allowing only three hits. He handed the ball to Jake Dorn in the seventh, and after issuing two straight walks, Dorn managed to work his way out of trouble. Issues arose in the eighth inning, when the team led 9-2, and the game quickly spiraled downward. JD called upon Lonzo Drummond for his second appearance of the season, but he struggled, failing to record an out and loading the bases, appearing overwhelmed. Lyndon Glidewell was then brought in to rescue the situation, finishing with three strikeouts. In the ninth inning, JD again called on the bullpen for what was expected to be a routine save, holding a seven-run lead. However, he had to rely on our closer, who struggled to secure the win. A diving catch by shortstop Vance Sheahan was crucial; without it, the outcome might have changed, and the team could have been disappointed after nearly losing a game that was at risk due to bullpen issues.

Tonight in Miami, Brylan West started things off in the second inning with a two-run homer to left field, giving his team an early lead over his former teammates. The Panthers responded in the fourth with a solo shot, making the score 2-1.

The bottom half of the 4th inning marked a breakout for the Canes, who scored five crucial runs, highlighted by Jake Ogden, named ACC Player of the Week, with a two-run homer. Brylan West once again faced his former teammates, opening with a single, followed by Max Galvin, who also singled, putting runners on first and second. A wild pitch advanced both runners, and a wild pitch on ball four to Vance Sheahan brought West home, leaving runners on the corners with one run scored. Alvarez contributed an RBI single to drive in the second run, and Fabio’s sacrifice fly to left field brought in the third. Jake Ogden capped the scoring with his fifth homer of the year, giving the Canes a 7-1 lead.

In the sixth inning, the Panthers capitalized on a Cuvet error during a 1-5 fielder’s choice, cutting the lead to 7-2 with a sacrifice fly to left that scored the runner from third, who had reached there because of Daniel’s missed play.

In the 7th inning, Derek Williams hit his 13th home run, deep to left field, increasing Miami’s lead to 9-2. Alex Sosa, who had singled earlier, extended his hitting streak to 14 games and successfully reached base in 22 consecutive games.

With the game comfortably controlled after Jake Dorn managed to escape a minor jam in the seventh inning, JD decided to give the newer bullpen arms a chance to gain some experience. While the gesture was well-meaning, the outcome was nearly disastrous. Lonzo Drummond, who had appeared impressive in his first appearance last week, took a notable step back, failing to record an out and loading the bases with a single, a walk, a wild pitch, and a hit batter. Concerned about further trouble, JD called on Lyndon Glidewell to stop the rally. Three straight strikeouts achieved just that.

Escaping disaster in the 8th inning but not in the 9th, as JD once again called upon the bullpen. This time, the bottom nearly fell out of a 7-run lead. To stop the rally, three relievers and a spectacular catch by Vance at shortstop were needed. Packy Bradley-Cooney started the 9th and began well with a strikeout, but chaos quickly unfolded. Packy hit the next batter, followed by the Panthers’ second home run of the night. Instead of settling down, Packy then hit his second batter on the very first pitch. A pitching change brought in Brixton Lofgren, who threw only six pitches after giving up a single and a walk to load the bases. With limited options, JD called on Ryan Bilka, who has faced some challenges lately, and tonight was no different in his effort to close out the game. He walked the first batter on four straight pitches, scoring the Panthers’ third run of the inning, but for a great diving catch by Vance at shortstop, at least two more runs would have scored. With the second out secured, Ryan just needed to get the final out with the bases still loaded. A single to center scored two, reducing the seven-run lead to two, with runners on first and second. FIU used a pinch hitter, Trey Freeman. With the count 2-1, Ryan delivered his pitch, and Trey flew out to left, ending the drama that had Miami fans on the edge of their seats, which, at the beginning of the inning, seemed like a walk in the park to the finish line. Miami wins 9-7.

Offensively, it was not a great day. The Canes’ offense was boosted by three home runs that accounted for five of Miami’s runs. Aside from those, no other extra-base hits were recorded, with the rest being singles. Only two batters had multiple hits: Jake Ogden went 2-4 with a home run, and Brylan West also went 2-4 with a home run. Derek Williams hit the third home run. The team batted a collective .250, with three strikeouts recorded. We only had three left on base compared to the Panthers’ ten.

This weekend, we face Wake Forest in an important ACC series, just above us in the standings. To succeed, we must play perfect baseball. Our starting rotation needs to go deep into games, and the bullpen must step up and perform at a higher level if we want to win the series and possibly sweep. First pitch is scheduled for 7PM