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Wake Forest 16, No.6 Miami 3: Seven Home Runs Defeat Hurricanes

Wake Forest needed just seven innings to defeat Miami Friday.

By JohnReynolds
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COLLEGE BASEBALL: MAY 25 ACC Championship - Miami v NC State Photo by David Jensen/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

A 16-3 loss ended Miami’s trip to the ACC Tournament on Friday afternoon. The Hurricanes head to the NCAA Tournament with a 39-18 record ahead of the tournament selection show on Monday.

Seven home runs powered Wake Forest to victory on Friday. Miami led after the first inning and a solo home run from CJ Kayfus, but a six-run top of the third inning that included two home runs gave Wake Forest the lead for the remainder of the game.

Despite playing just seven innings due to ACC Tournament rules ending games with a differential of 10 or more runs after seven innings, Wake Forest scored 16 runs on 15 hits. The most notable inning for the Demon Deacons was the top of the sixth, when back-to-back-to-back home runs extended Wake Forest’s lead beyond the 10 runs needed to end the game.

On Friday afternoon the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and ninth hitters in the lineup all had home runs for Wake Forest, including Adam Cecere’s two home run game. On the mound, ACC Pitcher of the Year Rhett Lowder worked a solid five innings, allowing three runs, and earned his 11th win of the season.

In total, Miami was outscored 25-9 at the ACC Tournament across two games. Additionally, the Hurricanes, who began the week at No.7 in RPI, finished the tournament at No.14 in RPI, the most important metric for the selection committee, dropping seven spots in three days.

As a result, while Miami will still host a regional, it is unlikely they will be a Top 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Hurricanes were projected to be a National Seed for most of the second-half of the season, but losing two of their last three conference series and an 0-2 week at the ACC Tournament will be difficult for the selection committee to overlook.

The 2022 NCAA Tournament Selection Show is on Monday, May 30 at 12:00 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN2. The tournament will begin on Friday, June 3.

Game Info

Winning Pitcher: Rhett Lowder (11-3, 5.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 5 BB, 4 K)

Losing Pitcher: Karson Ligon (6-6, 2.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 1 K)

Save: None

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