Miami baseball wins fifth straight game, but Sunday’s finale was canceled. Here’s why
Hurricanes baseball fans: No time to get out your brooms because Sunday’s final game of the University of Miami’s three-game home series against Wake Forest has been canceled.
The sweep already happened.
After fifth-ranked Miami rallied to defeat Wake Forest 6-3 on Saturday night for the Canes’ fifth consecutive victory, UM announced that “due to return-to-play protocols” regarding Wake Forest and COVID-19, Sunday’s 1 p.m. finale was canceled because of “a lack of available pitchers for Wake Forest.’’
“We were still planning going into this game to play the three games,” head coach Gino DiMare said in a UM release. “I kind of had a feeling going into this game if it was a situation where it was close, they were going to bring in some different guys and they brought in quite a few guys...”
DiMare indicated that he spoke to Wake Forest coach Tom Walter, and the Demon Deacons’ coach told him “there was no way’’ Wake could “play nine innings with the amount of pitcher they had available.”
UM rose to 8-4 overall and 5-3 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Wake fell to 3-5 and 1-3.
On Saturday, the Canes scored five runs over their final three at-bats to take the game and their first ACC series sweep. The game included a two-run home run by UM’s Anthony Vilar in the sixth inning to tie the score at 3. After Yohandy Morales lined out to third base, Adrian Del Castillo blasted a solo home run to right field for the go-ahead run.
Right-handed sophomore reliever Anthony Arguelles (3.18 ERA) pitched one inning, allowing one hit and no runs to go 4-0 overall this young season. Carson Palmquist threw the final 2 1/3 innings for his fifth save.
In the series opener Friday night, right-handed freshman Rosario Alejandro dominated on the mound, allowing only one hit in seven innings to lead Miami to a 10-0 win. Alejandro (2-0, 1.96) walked two and struck out seven Demon Deacons.
Vilar and Alex Toral went 3 for 4 with 3 RBI and a home run Friday, with Toral also hitting a double.
The Canes travel to Fort Myers to meet Florida Gulf Coast at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, then get set for a three-game series against ACC nemesis Florida State next weekend at Mark Light Field.
