Courtesy of Miami Athletics
The Miami Hurricanes baseball team rallied from a five-run deficit and defeated UCF 8-7 in 13 innings Tuesday night at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field. Vance Sheahan’s two-run home run in the bottom of the 13th sealed the incredible comeback.
Miami’s ***** Bradley-Cooney (1-0) earned the win after allowing one run on two hits over 2.0 innings, striking out one and issuing no walks. Roman Kimball (0-1) was charged with the loss after surrendering one run on one hit in 0.1 inning of relief
UCF (3-1) built a 5-0 lead through five innings. Andrew Williamson hit a two-run home run in the third inning, and the Knights added two runs in the fourth and one in the fifth. Miami (4-0) was held hitless through six innings before breaking through in the eighth. Jake Ogden put the Hurricanes on the board with a two-run home run to left field, cutting the deficit to 5-2.
The Hurricanes surged in the ninth, capitalizing on control issues from UCF’s bullpen. Four Miami batters were hit by pitches in the inning. Alex Sosa, Derek Williams and Brylan West were plunked to load the bases, and with two outs, Vance Sheahan was hit by a pitch to force in a run. Michael Torres followed with a two-run single to shallow left, tying the game at 5-5 after Miami trailed 5-0 entering the inning.
UCF regained the lead in the 10th on a sacrifice fly by Ross, but Daniel Cuvet responded in the bottom half with a solo home run to center field, tying the score at 6-6, building the Mark Light Magic that started to really boil around the ballpark.
Then…something shifted.
Just down Ponce de Leon Boulevard at the Watsco Center, Miami’s men’s basketball team secured a 67-66 win over Virginia Tech. As the final horn sounded there, students from Category 5 began making their way across campus. What started as a trickle turned into a steady stream, with fans filing into Alex Rodriguez Park as extra innings unfolded.
Others lined the upper levels of the parking garage beyond right field, leaning over the rails to catch every pitch. With each out recorded and every baserunner aboard, the noise grew. What had been a tense, late-night game transformed into a campus moment.
Fueled by the sudden surge of support and a rare convergence of events, the Hurricanes responded. The energy carried into the dugout and onto the field, and Miami seized it.
With the crowd pressed against the railings in right and the student section filling in behind home plate, the Hurricanes delivered once more — another chapter of Mark Light Magic.
The Knights moved in front again in the 13th when Javier Crespo singled to center, scoring Williamson to make it 7-6. Bradley-Cooney kept the deficit at one in the top half to give Miami a chance in the bottom of the inning.
Alonzo Alvarez stepped in to begin the 13th and sent a double into right field, immediately putting the tying run in scoring position and the crowd back on its feet.
One out later, with the energy around the ballpark still buzzing, Vance Sheahan turned on a 3-1 pitch and drove it deep to left. The ball cleared the wall, and as it disappeared into the night, so did UCF’s lead. Alvarez crossed the plate ahead of him, and Sheahan circled the bases as teammates poured out of the dugout.
An 8-7 walk-off complete and another comeback etched into Mark Light Field.
Sheahan finished with three RBIs, including the walk-off homer. Ogden and Cuvet each homered, and Torres drove in two runs as Miami scored eight runs on eight hits.
The Hurricanes are right back at it tomorrow against Indiana State, with first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m.
like that. It sucks for him to throw that well and not get a W. Good for us.