Miami baseball beats Wake Forest 7-2 in ACC Tournament semifinal

The Miami baseball team earned its biggest win of the season upsetting ACC Tournament top seed and the number one team in the country Wake Forest 7-2 in the semifinals. Third baseman Yohandy Morales was exceptional with three hits in four at-bats, three runs scored, two home runs and four RBIs.

Miami used six pitchers in the win over Wake Forest. Karson Ligon made his first start in over a month. Ligon pitched 2.1 innings allowing two hits, one run, one earned with one walk and three strikeouts. Alejandro Rosario relieved Ligon and pitched 4.2 innings allowing four hits, one unearned run with two walks and three strikeouts.

Andrew Walters pitched the ninth inning to close the game for the third straight day. The six Miami pitchers did an exceptional job holding Wake Forest to seven hits in 33 at-bats for a .212 batting average in the semifinal. Miami will attempt to earn its second ACC Tournament Championship. The Miami baseball team won in 2008.

The Miami baseball team started the scoring in the top of the third when a Morales single scored C.J. Kayfus and Dominick Pitelli to put the Hurricanes up 2-0. A Pierce Bennett ground out scored Nick Kurtz for Wake Forest to cut the Miami lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the third inning.

Jacolby Long preserved the Miami lead with two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning bringing a what appeared to be a Wake Forest home run back. Long bobbled the ball after pulling it back over the wall and secured the third out of the inning. Morales led off the top of the sixth inning with a HR to RF to extend the lead to 3-1.

Danny Corona scored on a Marek Houston fielder’s choice to cut the Miami lead to 3-2. Miami answered the Wake Forest run again. An Edgardo Villegas fielder’s choice scored Long. Blake Cyr signed scoring Morales and C.J. Kayfus to extend the Miami lead to 6-2. Morales added an inside-the-park HR In the top of the ninth inning.

Morales hit a fly ball to right field that hit the top of the fence and bounced back into play. Without a HR call from the umpires, Morales kept running. The Wake Forest OFs appeared to assume it was already a HR. Morales rounded the bases and extended the Miami lead to 7-2 on his second HR of the game.

Miami will play Clemson in the ACC Tournament Championship game at 1 PM ET on Sunday at Durham Athletic Park. Sunday will be the first game between Clemson and Miami this season. Clemson is one of the hottest teams in college baseball. The Tigers have won 14 in a row entering the ACC Championship Game.