No. 11 Miami falls to No. 16 Duke to open final regular-season series

Home runs ruled early Thursday night at Mark Light Field, and this time not only the ones hit by the University of Miami.

The first three hits of the night went over the fence — two by No. 11 Miami and the other by No. 16 Duke. The Blue Devils got another in the sixth. But in the end, UM struck out 16 times, could only muster a season-low three hits and Duke prevailed 5-3 to open the final regular-season series.

Duke’s Giovanni DiGiacomo sliced a single down the left-field line off UM reliever Rafe Schlesinger with two outs in the eighth for a 4-3 lead, and scored another in the ninth. Miami’s Carlos Lequerica, who had hit the two batters before DiGiacomo, was charged with the run and loss.

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UM stranded runners on first and second in the bottom of the eighth when closer James Tallon struck out Yohandy Morales and UM home-run leader Blake Cyr. Tallon retired the side in the ninth for his record-tying 11th save of the season.

Reliever Fran Oschell III (4-0) , who allowed no runs and one hit, got the win for Duke (35-17, 16-11).

UM’s loss coupled with Virginia’s victory over Georgia Tech means Miami (35-18, 16-12 ACC) would have to win Friday and Saturday and Virginia (42-11, 17-11) would have to lose both days for Miami to win the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Coastal Division heading into next week’s ACC Tournament.

Miami, kings of the long ball, continued its home-run parade when junior Zach Levenson smacked his 11th of the season to left-center in the second inning to drive home Blake Cyr (walk) and give UM a 2-0 lead. It was UM’s 100th home run this season, the fifth time the program has amassed 100 in a season and first time since 2010.

The homer was the only hit by either team through three innings — until the fourth, when Duke’s Alex Mooney led off the top half with a solo home run to make it 2-1 and Hurricanes star Yohandy Morales led off the bottom half with a solo homer to make it 3-1 Canes for UM’s 101st.

Morales, a junior who came into the game with a team-leading .402 batting average, has 13 homers for the season and 42 for his career — the 42 tied for sixth all-time at UM with Zach Collins (2014-16) and Danny Matienzo (2000-02).

Then, in the sixth, Duke’s Andrew Fischer hit his 11th of the season, a program record, to cut the Blue Devils’ deficit to 3-2. Duke tied the score at 3 in the seventh on an RBI-double by freshman Tyler Albright, before UM reliever Carlos Lequerica got Fischer to fly out for the third out with bases loaded.

Duke starter Alex Gow allowed three runs on two homers and had a season-high seven strikeouts.

UM starter Gage Ziehl lasted six innings, allowing two runs on four hits. He had no walks and five strikeouts.

Miami continues the series at 7 p.m. Friday at The Light, with the regular-season finale – Senior Day and fan appreciation day – at 1 p.m. Saturday.

The Canes head to Durham, North Carolina, for the ACC Tournament that begins Tuesday and runs through May 28.