Miami opens NCAA play with 9-4 win over Jacksonville in Gainesville regional

Hurricanes open NCAA play with 9-4 victory

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — No matter how the Miami Hurricanes fare during the regular season, they always seem to be ready for the postseason.

This year was no exception.

Jason Hagerty homered from both sides of the plate, Chris Herrmann added a two-run shot and Miami opened NCAA regional play with a 9-4 victory over Jacksonville on Friday.

The Hurricanes (37-20), playing in their 37th consecutive NCAA tournament, rebounded from back-to-back losses in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament and improved to 110-34 in regional play.

“When we get in the playoffs, we seem to be a different team,” said catcher Yasmani Grandal, who had a two-run double in the fifth. “I guess when you come into the playoffs the way we did, not doing too good, you want to erase that and start all over. We’re definitely a different team when we come into the playoffs.”

Miami did most of the damage with three home runs.

Hagerty hit a solo shot from the left side in the first inning, Herrmann made it 6-0 in the fifth and Hagerty added a two-run blast in the seventh. It was the second time Hagerty’s hit homers from both sides of the plate.

“By now, it’s just the same,” he said. “I’ve been doing it for four or five years. I feel pretty natural from both sides. I just try not to over-think the whole process.”

Jacksonville (36-21) snapped a 25-inning scoreless streak in regional play with four runs in the seventh, cutting the lead to 6-4, but Hagerty’s second homer gave Miami plenty of cushion the rest of the way.

“The two-run home run really hurt us,” Jacksonville coach Terry Alexander said. “Certainly, there were a lot of things that hurt us. But that one took the wind out of our sail.”

The Dolphins have lost seven straight in the series and now face a tough climb to get out of the loser’s bracket in the Gainesville regional.

Travis Miller (3-0), a late-season addition to the starting rotation, pitched four scoreless innings for the win. He gave up three hits and kept Jacksonville off balance while his teammates staked him to a big lead.

Carson Andrew (6-4), who had several major league scouts watching every pitch, allowed six runs in the loss. He also walked two and hit three.

“Those guys can really swing it,” Andrew said. “The solo home runs don’t hurt too bad, but when you’re walking guys and hitting guys and you make a mistake and they hit two- and three-run home runs, those are tough to come back from, especially the way they can pitch the baseball.”

Beating Miami in the postseason is even tougher.

The four-time national champions are looking to get back to the College World Series for the 12th time in the last 16 years.

“We had one slouch inning, but after that, we really put it back together and played well the rest of the game,” Hagerty said.