Miami baseball sweeps Pittsburgh after blowout loss to FAU

The Miami baseball team recovered from an 11-2 loss to Florida Atlantic on Wednesday by sweeping Pittsburgh in their ACC opening series this weekend.

The Miami baseball team improved to 11-4 this season after a sweeping Pittsburgh to begin ACC play. The Hurricanes were upset 11-2 by Florida Atlantic in Boca Raton on Wednesday night. The loss to the Owls was the first game Miami played outside of Coral Gables this season.

The Hurricanes began the week in the top 10 in most major polls. The offense for the Miami baseball team stalled as has been the case in six games this season. After scoring two runs in the loss to FAU, Miami has plated three or fewer runs in a half dozen games this season.

The loss to Florida Atlantic broke a four-game Miami winning streak. FAU broke the game open in their final three at-bats. Leading 3-1 entering the bottom of the sixth inning the Owls scored three in the bottom of the sixth and five in the eighth to break open a close game. The Hurricanes scored their runs in the fourth and seventh.

Freshman Alex McFarlane continued to struggle in the loss to FAU. The freshman allowed two earned runs in two innings on four hits with two strikeouts. McFarlane now has a 7.56 ERA this season. The bullpen imploded with five of the seven Miami relief pitchers allowing run in the loss.

Catcher Jared Thomas and second baseman Luis Tuero were the only Miami baseball players with multiple hits in the loss. To their credit, the Hurricanes put the loss to FAU behind them and were focused against Pittsburgh this weekend. The Hurricanes scored five runs in each of the first two games before the bats exploded on Sunday.

Miami needed a solo walk-off home run in the 11th inning from first baseman Alex Toral to win the series opener in a Friday matinee. Pittsburgh rallied from a 4-0 deficit to force the extra frames. Hurricanes starting pitcher Brian VanBelle allowed his first runs of the season in the win on Friday.

Van Belle pitched 6.1 innings allowing five hits, two runs, both earned with two walks and five strikeouts. The rare fifth-year senior in college baseball has pitched at an All-American level this season. Van Belle has a 0.68 ERA, a .0.76 WHIP with 38 strikeouts against just four walks this season.

Miami Hurricanes

Junior Chris McMahon and the J.P Gates who got the win on Friday combined for a shutout in a 5-0 Hurricanes victory on Saturday. McMahon threw seven innings allowing five hits, no walks and eight strikeouts. Gates followed with a clean two innings with three K’s. Adrian Del Castillo had two hits and three RBIs.

Miami broke open what had been a tight game entering the bottom of the seventh with three runs followed by a seven-run eighth for the 14-2 victory over Pittsburgh on Sunday. Six Miami baseball players recorded multiple hits in the victory on Sunday led by Jordan Lala and Anthony Vilar with three each.

Lala was 3-4 with two runs scored and three RBIs. Vilar finished 3-5 with three runs scored and two RBIs. Sophomore Slade Cecconi threw 106 pitches in six innings allowing six hits, two runs, one earned, two walks with seven strikeouts to earn his second win of the season. The Miami bullpen held Pittsburgh scoreless in three innings.

The Miami baseball team will travel to Orlando to face the 15-2 Knights on Wednesday night. That will be followed by 8-5 Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. The Hokies were in extra innings with Georgia Tech on Sunday trying to salvage the final games of their series with the Yellow Jackets on Sunday.

Miami and Georgia Tech are the only undefeated teams in the ACC Coastal Division through the first day and a half of conference play. Clemson and Notre Dame won their first two ACC games this weekend to top the Atlantic Division. Miami returns to Coral Gables on March 18 to host FIU.