Nine-run fifth inning vaults Hurricanes to series-opening win vs. Louisville

CORAL GABLES — When the bottom of the fifth inning began, Louisville led Miami 2-1. When it ended, the Cardinals trailed 10-2.

Cardinals starter Wyatt Danilowicz left the game with one out in the fifth inning, and the Hurricanes attacked the struggling Louisville bullpen. The nine-run rally vaulted UM (34-14, 14-11 ACC) to a 13-8 win over Louisville (26-24, 10-15) in the first game of a three-game series at Mark Light Stadium on Thursday night.

The Hurricanes went down 2-0 in the first inning. After starter Rob Evans recorded two quick strikeouts, a flared single and an error by shortstop Vance Sheahan set the stage for a two-RBI double by Louisville right fielder Griffin Crain.

Miami quickly got one run back when second baseman Jake Ogden led off the first inning with a triple. Left fielder Max Galvin drove him in with a groundout.

For the next three innings, the two starters traded zeroes. Evans retired 11 straight batters from the second inning until the start of the sixth inning.

In the bottom of the fifth, Danilowicz left the game with an apparent injury after giving up just one run on four hits. His replacement, Ty Starke, surrendered the lead two batters later on an RBI single by Ogden.

Star outfielder Derek Williams gave Miami a lead with a bases-loaded walk against the Cardinals’ third pitcher of the inning, Peter Michael. Designated hitter Alex Sosa added another run with a single to left-center field, and first baseman Brylan West drove in two more with a double down the left-field line. The hit parade continued with an RBI single by Sheahan and another by freshman third baseman Gabriel Milano, who is playing in place of the injured Daniel Cuvet.

Center fielder Fabio Peralta drove in a run with a groundout, and Sheahan scored on a wild pitch.

By the time the fifth inning was over, the Hurricanes led the Cardinals 10-2.

Evans surrendered two runs to Louisville in the sixth inning, and he ended his night with six innings pitched, two earned runs allowed and eight strikeouts.

In the eighth inning, Miami tacked on an 11th run on an RBI single by Ogden, which was his fourth hit of the game. Williams made it 13-4 Miami with a two-run single to center field.

Although the Hurricanes nearly walked off the game with a run-rule victory, the Cardinals stayed in the game. Ben Slanker hit a grand slam in the eighth inning, cutting Louisville’s deficit to 13-8. But it was not enough to climb back into the game, as Lyndon Gildewell closed it in the ninth for UM.