No. 5 Florida State slugs six home runs to cruise to series-opening victory over Hurricanes

CORAL GABLES — The Miami Hurricanes’ baseball series opener against rival Florida State started badly and only got worse.

The Hurricanes (13-10, 0-4 ACC) gave up three runs to the Seminoles (19-2, 4-0 ACC) in the first inning and fell 14-1 in a seven-inning, run-rule defeat at Mark Light Stadium in Coral Gables on Thursday night, dropping the first game of a three-game set. Miami has lost seven of its last nine games after starting the season 11-3.

“We’ve got to play better, though, in all aspects,” UM coach J.D. Arteaga said. “In all aspects. We’ve got to hit better, we’ve got to pitch better, we’ve got to play better defense, and we know that. We’re not playing very good baseball right now, and this is a very tough part of our schedule, and that’s a bad combination.”

The Seminoles clobbered Nick Robert’s pitches early in the game; center fielder Max Williams laced a line-drive homer just inside the right-field foul pole to put FSU up 2-0 in the first inning. Two batters later, second baseman Myles Bailey hit a solo home run to center field.

“They weren’t trying to (hit home runs),” Arteaga said. “And that’s good hitting.”

Robert rebounded to toss two scoreless innings, and center fielder Fabio Peralta got Miami on the board with a solo home run to right field in the bottom of the third.

FSU extended its lead back to three with an RBI single by designated hitter Jaxson West in the fourth inning. The Seminoles’ two-out rally put them up 6-1 on run-scoring hits by right fielder Gage Harrelson and Alex Lodise, which ended Robert’s night after 3 2/3 innings. Florida State ended the inning up 8-1.

The rout continued in the sixth inning on homers by Hunter Carns and Lodise, pushing the Seminoles’ lead to 11-1. Carns added a second home run in the seventh inning to extend the lead to 12-1. Lodise crushed another home run in the seventh, giving FSU its sixth long ball of the night, and a 14-1 lead.

While the Hurricanes’ staff struggled, Seminoles starter Joey Volini dominated. The junior left-hander pitched a seven-inning complete game, allowing one run on two hits while striking out nine.

Miami will look for redemption in Game 2 of the series at 8 p.m. Saturday.

“We’re just going to throw tonight in the garbage and focus on winning the series tomorrow and Saturday,” infielder Dorian Gonzalez Jr. said.