The No. 17 Miami Hurricanes kept their undefeated start intact Wednesday night, staging a dramatic late comeback to defeat Florida Atlantic 11-7 on the road.
Miami entered the ninth inning trailing 7-4, but the Hurricanes erupted for seven runs in the final frame, flipping the game in a matter of minutes and improving to 10-0 on the season.
Right-hander Ryan Bilka earned the victory out of the bullpen for Miami, tossing two scoreless innings while striking out four. Florida Atlantic reliever Bryan Boully was tagged with the loss after the Hurricanes broke the game open in the ninth.
Miami grabbed the early advantage in the second inning. After Alonzo Alvarez reached base and advanced into scoring position, Brylan West lined an RBI single to right field to give the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead.
The Hurricanes continued to apply pressure in the third. Michael Torres reached base and later scored when Alex Sosa delivered an RBI single. Derek Williams followed with another run-scoring hit to extend Miami’s lead to 3-0.
Florida Atlantic chipped away at the deficit midway through the game. The Owls plated two runs in the fourth inning and added another in the fifth to even the score at 3-3.
Miami briefly regained control in the seventh when Williams delivered another RBI single to push the Hurricanes back in front, 4-3.
However, FAU answered quickly. The Owls scored twice in the seventh and added two more in the eighth, turning the momentum and building a 7-4 lead as the game moved to the final inning.
That’s when Miami’s explosive offense struck again.
Daniel Cuvet ignited the rally with a two-run home run to left field, pulling the Hurricanes within one run. After Miami loaded the bases with a pair of walks and an infield single by Alvarez, West delivered the biggest swing of the night, ripping a two-run double into the gap in left-center to give Miami an 8-7 lead.
The Hurricanes weren’t finished.
Jake Ogden followed later in the inning with a bases-clearing double that stretched the lead to four runs and capped the seven-run outburst.
Bilka returned to the mound in the bottom of the ninth and faced late pressure as Florida Atlantic loaded the bases with two outs. After a mound visit, the right-hander induced a ground ball to second base to end the game and seal the comeback victory.
West finished with three RBIs, including the go-ahead hit in the ninth. Cuvet added a two-run homer, while Ogden’s three-run double provided crucial insurance runs. Williams also drove in two runs, and Sosa added another RBI.
Miami starter Sebastian Santos-Olson worked 4.1 innings, allowing three runs, one earned, in his second start of the season.
The Hurricanes now return home for one of their biggest early-season tests as Miami hosts No. 10 Florida for a three-game weekend series at Mark Light Field. First pitch for Friday night’s opener is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will air on the ACC Network.
