Georgia Tech outlasts Miami Hurricanes in curfew shortened finale

Miami, Florida – The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets avoided the sweep in game two of Sunday’s double-header defeating the Miami Hurricanes 9-5 in six innings. Due to travel restrictions, a new inning cannot be played past 5:15 PM. After winning the opener 4-2 Friday night, Saturday’s game was postponed because of inclement weather. Alejandro Rosario (2-3, 8.21 ERA) toed the rubber versus Terry Busse (1-2, 3.12 ERA) in a matchup between righties.

Miami’s pitching was unable to contain the Yellow Jackets surrendering nine runs on 13 hits. Rosario was chased off in the third, tagged for six runs on eight hits. Coupled with costly fielding and base running mistakes at critical junctures, the Hurricanes failed to keep pace as their bats fell silent in the last two innings. Angelo Dispigna, one of Georgia Tech’s best hitters, was a bane for the Canes going three-for-four driving in five runs. He wasn’t the only one. John Giesler and Kristian Campbell both went yard going a combined five-for-eight.

Jackets strike first in Game 3 on a two-RBI single from @AngeloDispigna pic.twitter.com/IE2gCeNsoJ

— Georgia Tech Baseball (@GTBaseball) April 23, 2023

With the loss to Georgia Tech the Miami Hurricanes slip to 25-15 (12-9, ACC). It was only their fourth loss at home this season (21-4). CJ Kayfus was a last-minute scratch. Renzo Gonzalez substituted him.

Stung

GT pounced on Rosario early scoring two runs. Campbell and Jake DeLeo got things started with back-to-back singles. Dispigna drove both of them home with a base hit.

Miami responded with deuces in the second inning. Ian Farrow knocked one up the middle pushing across Zach Levenson. With runners at the corners, Lorenzo Carrier popped deep enough to right field allowing Dominic Pitelli to tag up and safely make it home.

Have a day Gello! Another two-RBI hit for @AngeloDispigna to put the Jackets back up pic.twitter.com/K4aPKIUowM

— Georgia Tech Baseball (@GTBaseball) April 23, 2023

However, the Yellow Jackets countered generating a huge third inning. Dispigna struck again with a two-run base hit and Giesler homered to left for his second jack of the weekend making it 6-2 Georgia Tech. Campbell smashed a round-tripper in the fourth extending his team’s lead.

Scinta strikes out Minnick. Georgia Tech leaves 'em loaded but the damage has been done. Miami trails 9-5. Due to travel curfew this will be the Canes' final at-bat at the bottom of the sixth inning. By 5:15 a new inning cannot be started. Due up: Farrow, Carrier Perez#GoCanes

— Gabriel Garcia (@Gabewritesports) April 23, 2023

UM rallied in their half of the inning. With one out, Farrow and Carrier singled followed by Carlos Perez drawing a walk loading the bases. Edgardo Villegas came through finding a hole to right field, knocking in two. However, a key mistake was made on the base paths. When Yohandy Morales smacked his own RBI single, Villegas tried to wheel toward third. Despite his aggressive efforts, he was thrown out ending the inning. Although they were down 7-5 it’s the closest they’d get. GT added two more in the sixth. First, Stephen Reid slapped an RBI triple. Then Dispigna popped one to shallow left-center field. Pitelli lost the ball in the sun resulting in Angelo’s fifth ribby.

Impressions

As someone aptly put it, the Hurricanes did not wreck Tech. Far from it. The Yellow Jackets gave Miami quite a fight where even a series victory was at times in doubt. Game one of Sunday’s doubleheader proved to be a hotly contested affair as GT never truly went away. Despite being the cellar dwellers of the Coastal division they still managed to take one from the Canes. It also didn’t help Kayfus was a late scratch for unknown reasons.

Within striking distance…

📺: ACCNX pic.twitter.com/Mf10m792KG

— Miami Hurricanes Baseball (@CanesBaseball) April 23, 2023

With a large chunk of the season over, The U has been through a gauntlet facing several ranked opponents achieving a good degree of success. They’re in a position to make a run at a national seed but the remaining schedule denotes quite a bit of uncertainty. The difficulty of their upcoming opponents varies and anything can happen. Let’s take a look.

First, FIU makes up two of the three remaining midweek games. They’ll host Florida Atlantic on Tuesday. The quartet of lingering weekend tilts alternates between being at home and on the road. Louisville sits right smack in the middle of the Atlantic Division and is presently experiencing a four-game skid after getting swept by Duke. Next is Big South’s Presbyterian, a very beatable team checking in at 16-25. Thereafter, Miami heads back out on the road at Pitt which is near the bottom of the Coastal. The Hurricanes then close the 2023 season at home versus Duke in a potentially pivotal series.

This can either be one heck of a late-season surge or a costly stumble for the Cardiac Canes.

Gus Bus Award

This one goes to Villegas for the timely two-run hit in the fourth. He sparked the rally.

You’re Killing Me Smalls

However, for the first time ever, a player is getting each award. In fact, Villegas’ mistake of going to third ended the aforementioned rally. As a result, it cost them dearly. Miami never really got anything going afterward.