NC State 9, No.6 Miami 6: Hurricanes Eliminated from ACC Title Contention

A 9-6 loss to the North Carolina State Wolfpack on Wednesday night eliminated the Miami Hurricanes from contention to win the ACC. The Hurricanes final game at the ACC Tournament will be on Friday against Wake Forest, but neither team will be able to advance.

NC State took an early lead on Wednesday, with Tommy White hitting a solo home run in the bottom of the first inning to score the first run of the afternoon. Miami responded with a four-run top of the third inning. Back-to-back walks opened the inning for the Hurricanes, and CJ Kayfus tied the game with an RBI-single. Yohandy Morales then hit a three-run home run to give the Hurricanes the lead.

After Miami’s four-run rally NC State immediately responded. A double brought Tommy White back to the plate with a runner in scoring position, and the ACC Freshman of the Year hit his second home run of the game to make it a one-run game.

NC State took the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. A single opened the inning, but Miami starting pitcher Carson Palmquist retired the next two batters to nearly escape the inning without allowing a run. Unfortunately for Palmquist a single and a two-run double, followed by an intentional walk and a run-scoring throwing error made the score 6-4.

A Maxwell Romero solo home run in the top of the fifth inning brought Miami within one run, but NC State responded in the bottom of the inning when Noah Soles hit a solo home run to immediately reextend the lead. The bottom of the sixth inning made matters worse for Miami, after a leadoff single Tommy White added another home run, his third of the night, to make the score 9-5. The home run was the 26th of the year for White, setting a new single-season home run record for NC State.

In the top of the seventh inning Miami made it a three-run game with an RBI-single from Yohandy Morales, but a double play ended the inning before the rally could continue. The Hurricanes brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth inning, but a strikeout ended the game and Miami’s ACC title hopes.

The loss is Miami’s fourth consecutive at the ACC Tournament dating back to 2019. The Hurricanes have not advanced to a semi-final game at the tournament since 2017, and have won just two games in ACC Tournament play since 2018.

Miami’s final game in Charlotte will be on Friday at 3:00 p.m. against Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons will start ACC Pitcher of the Year Rhett Lowder in the game. Neither team is able to advance to semi-final play, but the game is still important for the Hurricanes as two losses at the tournament could mean the Hurricanes drop out of the Top 8 seeds for the NCAA Tournament.

Game Info

Winning Pitcher: Matt Willadsen (5-4, 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 8 K)

Losing Pitcher: Carson Palmquist (9-4, 3.2 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 3 K)

Save: Chris Villaman (11)