Cuvet’s grand slam lifts Miami Hurricanes over FIU in game at Marlins’ loanDepot park
It was a big-time moment at a big-time venue for one of the Miami Hurricanes’ big-time players.
Tie game. Bases loaded. Two outs. Full count.
Daniel Cuvet was up for the moment.
Cuvet capped his eight-pitch at-bat in the sixth inning with a go-ahead grand slam to left field to lead the Hurricanes to a 7-3 win over FIU on Tuesday at loanDepot park, home of the Miami Marlins.
“It’s a good feeling,” said Cuvet, a Fort Lauderdale native. “It’s my first time playing in my home big league stadium, so that was cool for me to hit that home run there.”
The home run, Cuvet’s third of the season, came on an 81.1 mph curveball from FIU’s Tacen Cameron. Cuvet sent it a projected 368 feet, landing in the Hurricanes’ bullpen.
“A lot of pitches, a lot of breaking balls,” Cuvet said. “I was able to make some adjustments and able to connect with that one.”
But the opportunity almost didn’t come.
Some good fortune on a bobbled groundball that Michael Torres hit to FIU shortstop Alex Ulloza and heads-up baserunning from Fabio Peralta one at-bat earlier kept the inning alive to bring Cuvet to the plate.
“That was absolutely the play of the game to get our best batter, our most dangerous bat to the plate,” UM coach JD Arteaga said. “If [Peralta] doesn’t do that, then Cuvet’s leading off the next inning and who knows what happens?”
Cuvet entered the season with high expectations. He had a stellar freshman season during which he hit .351 with a 1.165 on-base-plus-slugging mark and set a UM freshman record with 24 home runs. He was named to the watch list for the Golden Spikes Award (given to the nation’s top player) as well as a preseason All-American by the NCBWA, D1Baseball and Perfect Game. D1Baseball also named Cuvet as the country’s top third baseman.
After a relatively slow start to the season with just a pair of singles through his first four games, Cuvet is on an eight-game hitting streak during which he is batting .379 (11 for 29) with two doubles, three home runs, 10 RBI and 12 runs scored in that span.
“It feels good,” Cuvet said. “It’s a process. You’re gonna have bad games. They just happened to be at the beginning of the season. That’s how I kind of look at it. From here on out, I’m looking to get better and keep hitting.”
His grand slam on Tuesday broke open the game after the Hurricanes saw their early three-run lead vanish.
Miami jumped out to that 3-0 advantage with a two-out rally in the second inning. It started with back-to-back walks to Bobby Marsh and Tanner Smith before first baseman Todd Hudson, Peralta and Torres each followed with RBI singles.
That trio entered the game with just six combined RBI — three for Hudson, two for Peralta, one for Torres.
All seven of Miami’s runs on Tuesday came with two outs.
But FIU (11-3) scratched its way back with a two-run third inning on an RBI double from Kareh Valentin and a Brylan West sacrifice fly.
The Panthers tied it in the fifth on a two-out RBI single from Austin Dearing. The potential go-ahead run for FIU was thrown out at home on a great throw from Torres in center field.
Right-handed pitcher Alex Giroux, making his second start of the season, held FIU to three runs on five hits over six innings while striking out four.
The Hurricanes bullpen of Lazaro Collera, AJ Ciscar and Jackson Cleveland combined for three shutout innings to seal the win.
Miami and FIU will play three more times during the regular season: April 2 and May 7 at the Hurricanes’ Mark Light Field and March 4 at FIU. The Hurricanes won three of four games against the Panthers last season.
UM will also play another game at an MLB ballpark this season. The Hurricanes’ series finale at Boston College on April 27 will be played at Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox.
“It’s a great experience,” Arteaga said. “These guys were excited. It’s always fun to play in a big-league park.”
This story was originally published March 4, 2025 at 9:35 PM.
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