LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — On the eve of his team’s NCAA Super Regional opener Friday against the University of Louisville, Miami Hurricanes coach J.T. Arteaga said the team that advances in tournament play is not the best team.
It is the hottest team.
I don’t need a thermometer to tell you who the hottest team was in Jim Patterson Stadium Friday. It was the Cardinals.
Scoring two runs in the second, five in the third and one more in the fourth, Louisville hammered Miami, 8-1, to move to within one victory of earning the program’s sixth trip to the College World Series and first since 2019 under coach Dan McDonnell.
"Confidence is contagious and this lineup is very confident right now," McDonnell said.
The only thing that slowed the Cardinals was the rain. Weather created a delay of more than 30 minutes from the scheduled 3 p.m. first pitch. Then lightning stopped action for nearly 45 minutes with two outs in the bottom of the eighth.
Neither Mother Nature nor the Hurricanes could topple McDonnell’s team.
U of L third baseman Jake Munroe rattled home runs to center and left field the first two times he swung the bat. Garret Pike, the right fielder, started the fun with an opposite field home run to left to lead off the second inning.
Munroe, who drove in five runs, said the first home run came on a fast ball he tried to drive into the middle of the field and the second came on a curve ball that failed to break.
"I just tried to be calm and move the baseball," Munroe said.
Arteaga held back the Hurricanes’ usual Friday starter, Griffin Hugus, for Game Two, which is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday in the best-of-three series. He went with A.J. Ciscar, a right-hander, whose fastball registers in the low 90s. Deception is his game.
Ciscar did not deceive anybody. He lasted less than three full innings, retiring only 7 of 17 batters as the Cards celebrated three home runs, a double, three singles, a walk, a hit batter and a fielder’s choice, the result of throwing error by Ciscar.
"Things got away from us quickly," Arteaga said.
The Hurricanes trailed 7-1 when Ciscar departed. Louisville starting pitcher Patrick Forbes and two relievers took it from there.
Forbes pitched like the guy that Baseball America magazine projected as the 40th overall pick in its latest MLB Mock Draft. With a crackling 98 mph fastball, Forbes struck out nine in 5 2/3 innings, allowing four hits while walking four.
"All the credit to him," said Miami second baseman Dorian Gonzalez. "His stuff was really good. At the end of the day we didn't make the adjustments."
The only run the Hurricanes scored on Forbes came in the third inning, the result of a hit batsman, a double, a walk and a sacrifice fly. Forbes struck out Miami catcher Tanner Smith to work out of trouble.
"It's not an easy thing, controlling electric stuff," McDonnell said. "It's not that easy when you're that adrenalized."
"I don't think I had my best stuff," Forbes said. "I think I just like to stress out Coach Mac a little bit."
Winners of four straight, the Cards improved to 39-21. McDonnell started Tucker Biven in the second game of the regional at Vanderbilt last Saturday and McDonnell suggested Biven was likely to start Saturday morning.
Miami is likely to pitch Hugus, a right-hander who finished 6-7 with 94 strikeouts in 90 innings. Hugus threw 123 pitches last Saturday when the Hurricanes defeated Ivy League champion Columbia, 14-1.
"You're going to get the best competitor on our team," Arteaga said.
McDonnell's players would not want it any other way.
"This is everything I dreamed of and more," Munroe said.
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