Miami Narrowly Escapes No. 24 Alabama, Defeating the Crimson Tide 5-3

"I was super comfortable once I got here," Cuvet said postgame. "Especially with yesterday's practice, it just felt like a comfortable batter's box and just like what I was seeing from the box, and I was able to pick up the pitcher well. I didn't feel like he had anything to really fool me on or blow by me, so I was just confident in my swing and knowing there in that situation that I needed to drive a ball probably to the right side of the field with runners in scoring position, and I was able to do that."

The Hurricanes, through the first three innings, played the best baseball that anyone had seen all season. Freshman AJ Ciscar was called to start, and he was dominant for the first three frames. At a point, he was cruising through the scary lineup of the Crimson Tide. Head coach J.D. Arteaga loved the poise his freshman showed in his first appearance in the NCAA Tournament. 

The Hurricanes then found themselves in trouble. In the bottom of the fourth, Ciscar started to show some signs of fatigue. He hit a pitcher, and was throwing several balls that were close to leading to a bases-loaded situation with Alabama shortstop and Golden Spike semifinalist Justin Lebron on deck. 

Ciscar gave up three runs, but a pop-up fly allowed him to leave without worries about that possibility. He followed that with a great fifth inning. That also came after a Max Galvin bomb that swung the momentum back in favor of Miami, giving the Canes a two-run lead, 5-3. 

“Credit to him,” Arteaga said. “He makes it sound really easy but to come back after a three a three-run inning and his first postseason start and settle back in and stick with what he knows works for him even though it didn't work the inning before that's special that's a special talent that's not very easy to teach and he he just brought it on his own.”

The talented freshman went on to finish seven innings, allowing six hits, three earned runs, and eight strikeouts.

 "It was definitely a blessing to be able to get a start, especially first game of regional against the number two seed, that is just incredible," Ciscar said. "I think it was the third or fourth inning, I can't remember, command suffered a little bit when the bases people got on base, and JD and Laz have trusted me in the situations. I mean, earlier in the year, I was in the pen, came into Florida base load went out, and you just kind of go in there, just throw strikes and make the hitters score those runs. Don't just give it to them, and we just made them work, gave up three spots, but then later on just trusting my stuff and coming back out there and just understanding that command wins the game, and I just went out there and did my thing."

Even with that performance from Ciscar, there was still a scare that the Hurricanes had seen before earlier in the season. The Hurricanes were up 5-3 in the bottom of the 9th, but the Crimson Tide gave closer Brian Walters a tough time. Moreover, he had let two on base with two out and a bomb that almost went out of the park that would have scarred the Canes for life.

"You get the worst right to the thoughts in your mind," Arteaga reacted. "Especially when you make that error with two outs. It seems like things are kind of falling apart There's always that one play that kickstarts something like that and then we hit the next ki,d and you know a local kid from Miami that we missed out on, and he's here, and it just seemed like it could go against us right there, but you know good Lord kept that ball in the park, and and we won the baseball."

The Hurricanes will now face the winner between host team Southern Miss and Columbia in a late game in the winner's bracket at 8:00 p.m. CT tomorrow.

More Miami Hurricanes Baseball News: