Miami was eliminated from regional play after Troy scored six unanswered runs in the final three innings, resulting in a 9-6 loss.

The defensive adjustments JD made to the lineup were insufficient. The player who should have been benched was our shortstop, Vance Sheahan. His inability to play the position effectively has been evident all season, making his continued presence perplexing. The loss of Cuvet for the season was a significant blow. While Milano can definitely hit, he still has a lot to learn defensively, and his arm strength needs improvement. Initially, Sosa didn’t develop as hoped, though his batting was valuable. Alvarez was the superior defensive catcher. It was understandable that Alex played first base for the first time, but his misjudgment of a foul ball behind him was inexplicable. Starting DeGoti at third was a good call, but I would have moved Ogden to shortstop to strengthen the left side of the infield and brought in Jailen Watkins at second, as he is quick, capable at the plate, and, most importantly, skilled defensively. We have enough hitters; what we lack are reliable fielders.

The Troy hitters quickly capitalized on Lazaro Collera, tallying three hits and a run in the first inning to establish an early advantage. Troy extended their lead in the third with a leadoff home run, their first of four on the day. By the end of the third inning, the Trojans led 3-0, prompting Miami’s starting pitcher to exit after 65 pitches.

After Ogden’s initial lead-off hit in the first inning, which he was quickly picked off, raising red flags about the mental lapses soon to follow, Miami went without a base runner until the 4th inning, when Galvin was hit by a pitch. Two batters later, the bats came alive with a Sosa HR, an Alvarez single, Dubovik reaching safely on an E4, and Milano with a two-RBI single, turning a two-run deficit into a 4-2 lead. Another two runs in the 5th should have turned into four, except for a questionable review of a stolen base at second by Ogden, which, as all looked at it, showed safe but was ruled out. That cost what would have been an additional run, with Galvin following with a home run. Three hits and a walk followed to load the bases, which brought in an additional run. Milano grounded out 6-3, which would have scored Miami’s 4th run of the inning, barring the ruling of Ogden’s stolen base, but the Canes had to settle for two and a 6-2 lead.

Miami’s struggle to maintain a four-run or any substantial lead became evident starting in the bottom of the 5th, as they allowed seven unanswered runs. The inning opened with a lead-off double, followed by a time violation walk and a hit batter, loading the bases for the Trojans. A seemingly routine 4-6-3 double play, which should have ended the inning without damage, fell apart when Sheahan overthrew to Sosa at first, allowing a run to score. In the 6th, a lead-off home run and three consecutive singles loaded the bases, prompting Ciscar to leave the mound, having taken over from Collera at the start of the 4th. Jack Dorn drew a walk, bringing in Troy’s second run of the inning, and a sacrifice fly to left field scored their third, tying the game at six. Troy then took the lead with back-to-back home runs in the 7th and an RBI single, securing the victory and setting up a matchup against Florida.