Sosa’s two homers, strong bullpen lead UM over Louisville in season’s last home game

(Adam Lichtenstein/South Florida Sun-Sentinel/TNS)

CORAL GABLES — The Hurricanes’ bullpen gave up 11 runs in a 16-9, extra-inning loss in Game 2 of its series against Louisville on Friday night.

The unit was called on to perform much better in the rubber match on Saturday, and it delivered. Miami (35-15, 15-12 ACC) relief pitchers pitched 6 1/3 innings and allowed just two runs in a 10-8 win over the Cardinals (27-25, 11-16) at Mark Light Field.

Although Miami’s relievers struggled on Friday, the bullpen helped keep the Hurricanes in the last home game of the season on Saturday. Sebastian Santos-Olson relieved Ciscar and pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings. TJ Coats came in for Santos-Olson and surrendered a two-run home run to Louisville first baseman Tague Davis, the slugger’s 33rd home run of the season. He did not give up any other runs.

Jack Durso struck out two batters in a scoreless eighth, and Lyndon Glidewell closed the game in the ninth without giving up a hit.

Miami needed the bullpen to do well on Saturday because of a subpar start by Miami starting pitcher AJ Ciscar. He gave up a double to Louisville left fielder Zion Rose on the first pitch of the game. One pitch later, he threw a bunt from right fielder Griffin Crain past first baseman Alex Sosa, allowing a run to score.

Fortunately for UM, the offense had another productive game. Sosa gave UM the lead in the bottom half of the inning, driving a two-run homer to right field with two outs in the inning.

Louisville pulled ahead in the top of the second. Following an RBI groundout, Rose drove in a run on a single to right field. Crain drove in a fourth run with an RBI groundout. Miami clawed back a run with an RBI single from Michael Torres in the bottom half of the second.

The scoring continued in the third inning. The Cardinals extended the lead back to two runs when a third strike to Louisville catcher George Baker got away from Miami catcher Alonzo Alvarez, allowing a run to score. Rose drove in his second run of the game with an RBI walk, which ended Ciscar’s game after 2 2/3 innings.

Sosa struck again in the bottom half of the frame, hitting his second two-run homer of the game. The second home run was Sosa’s 15th of the season, which gave him the team lead. Freshman designated hitter Dylan Dubovik hit a two-run homer to give the Hurricanes the lead again.

Vance Sheahan put the Hurricanes back ahead 9-8 in the bottom of the sixth, hitting his second home run of the season just over the left-field fence. Sosa added an insurance run with an RBI single, extending UM’s lead to 10-8.