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Louisiana returned to Alex Rodriguez Park to take on the host team in the Miami Hurricanes with the losing teams’ season coming to an end. Yohandy Morales launched two home runs and a first-inning three-run homer from Blake Cyr powered Miami past Louisiana 8-5, ending the Cajuns’ season.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Miami started with the offensive production early on in the contest as Blake Marshall was rocky in his first career start. After the first batter popped out to left field, Marshall hit Edgardo Villegas and Yohandy Morales got a single and advanced to second to put runners at second and third with one out. Then, freshman Blake Cyr got a hold of a fastball to left-center that the wind carried out of the ballpark for a three-run homer and an early 3-0 lead for the Hurricanes.
Louisiana answered in the bottom of the 2nd when Connor Higgs reached on a throwing error and then John Taylor singled to left field. Later in the inning, CJ Willis got an RBI single up the middle to score Higgs and make it 3-1.
During the third, Carson Roccaforte got his second single of the game and then Heath Hood moved him to third on a single before a wild pitch scored Roccaforte to cut the lead to a one-run game at 3-2.
Miami tacked on a couple more in the top of the fifth after a leadoff walk, two singles, and a throwing error suddenly made it 5-2 in favor of the Hurricanes.
Louisiana added a ru back after a pitch hit Kyle DeBarge and Roccaforte got his third hit of the game. Then, with a 3-2 count, Heath Hood singles up the middle to score DeBarge and Hood advanced to second on the throw to put two runners in scoring position with only one out. Higgs got an RBI groundout to first base to score Roccaforte and make it a 5-4 game with a runner on third.
Miami got an insurance run from their star third baseman Yohandy Morales in the seventh with a two-out homer to dead center to increase the lead to 6-4.
In the bottom of the eighth, Caleb Stelly gave Louisiana a run back with a two-out solo homer off the scoreboard for his first career collegiate home run to make it 6-5 after eight complete innings.
After giving up a solo homer, Miami got a homer of their own with a Jacoby Long solo shot to left field to pad the lead again to 7-5. Then, Yohandy Morales got his second home run of the game to left field to make it 8-5 and just about put this game out of reach.
Kyle DeBarge got a single in the bottom of the ninth before Heath Hood reached on an infield hit to put runners at the corners with two outs for Connor Higgs. However, Andrew Walters got the third out to win the game for the Hurricanes and end Louisiana’s season.
BIG NUMBER I: 26
Carson Roccaforte set a new program record at Louisiana for doubles in a single season with 26 doubles in 2023. He broke the record during the first inning of today’s game.
BIG NUMBER II: 114
Alejandra Rosario was very effective in his start for the Hurricanes, pitching six innings, giving up seven hits and four runs with six strikeouts.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Yohandy Morales
Morales went 4-5 on the afternoon as one of the nation’s top draft prospects had three RBIs with two solo home runs to power Miami past Louisiana.