No.8 Louisville 7, No.23 Miami 5: Small Errors Cost ‘Canes Big Game

Miami dropped a hard-fought Game 1 of a critical ACC series due to a few mental errors that the Louisville Cardinals took advantage of. With the loss Miami is 26-13 (10-9 ACC), and needs to win the next two games of the series to keep their hopes of hosting an NCAA Regional alive.

The Cardinals got on the board first with a three run top of the third inning. Two hard hit singles off of Slade Cecconi scored UL’s first run, and then a two-run home run from Logan Wyatt pushed the score out to 3-0 in favor of the Cardinals. In the next half inning Miami responded by scoring two when Adrian Del Castillo knocked a double to left center, but Cecconi allowed another two runs in the bottom of the fourth to allow Louisville to get right back to a three run lead.

In the fifth inning Freddy Zamora allowed a runner to reach second on a throwing error when he threw to first instead of holding on to the ball after a ball was hit to no man’s land in the infield. Louisville took advantage with an RBI single to make the score 6-3. In the top of the sixth Lousville scored on a bases loaded walk. The Hurricanes gave up two runs in this game because of mental errors. If you remove those two runs it’s a tie ballgame that’s possibly still going on. Those simple errors are the margin between hosting a regional and being a No.2 seed.

The Hurricanes tried to fight back in the late innings. Michael Amditis produced a run on his own in the top of the seventh when he doubled, moved to third on a wild pitch, and then scored on a balk. In the top of the ninth the Hurricanes scored with a double and an RBI groundout, but UL escaped the inning with the win.

In the last two games of this series Miami has to focus in and limit their mental errors. This is a young team in a crucial series on the road, but the defense has to be better over the last two games. The Hurricanes are playing for the chance to be at home for the first weekend of the postseason, and the next two games could be their biggest of the season.

Game Info

Winning Pitcher: Reid Detmers (7-2, 5.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 7 K)

Losing Pitcher: Slade Cecconi (5-3, 4.0 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 0 BB, 4 K)

Save: Michael Kirian (2)

(Box Score posted when available)

Next Game

At No.8 Louisville Game 2

Date & Time: Saturday, April 27, 6:00 P.M. Eastern

Hurricanes Starter: Evan McKendry (6-1, 4.12 ERA)

Louisville Starter: Bobby Miller (2-0, 4.11 ERA)

Radio: WVUM 90.5 FM

Television: ACC Network Extra