Alonzo Alvarez breaks late tie with home run as No. 23 Miami defeats Indiana State 6-2

Late power lifts Hurricanes after Sycamores erase early deficit

Freshman Alonzo Alvarez delivered the decisive swing Wednesday night in Coral Gables, launching a solo home run that broke a 2-2 tie and sent No. 23 Miami to a 6-2 win over Indiana State at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field.

Miami improved to 5-0 with the victory, while Indiana State fell to 1-3. The game remained tight into the late innings after Indiana State answered Miami’s early scoring with a two-run fifth inning, but Miami’s bullpen and timely extra-base hitting pushed the Hurricanes clear.

How the game unfolded

After three scoreless innings, Miami opened the scoring in the fourth. Derek Williams drove in the first run on a sacrifice fly, and Alvarez followed with an RBI double to make it 2-0.

Indiana State responded in the top of the fifth. A walk and stolen base helped set up Emil Estrella’s RBI double, and Nick Sutherlin later tied the game with an RBI single up the middle. The Sycamores’ rally evened the score at 2-2 and tightened what had been a controlled start for Miami’s pitching staff.

The tie held into the seventh. With one out in the bottom of the inning, Alvarez homered to left field to give Miami a 3-2 lead. The Hurricanes then added separation in the eighth with three more runs, highlighted by Daniel Cuvet’s RBI double and a two-run home run by Williams that extended the margin to 6-2.

Key performers and team notes

• Alonzo Alvarez (Miami): RBI double in the fourth and a go-ahead solo homer in the seventh accounted for the tie-breaker and two key run-producing swings.

• Derek Williams (Miami): Sacrifice fly to open scoring and a two-run home run in the eighth provided late insurance.

• Indiana State offense: The Sycamores matched Miami with eight hits, with multi-hit games from Carter Beck, Emil Estrella and Jeremy Martinez.

Context around the matchup

The game was part of Miami’s early-season homestand, which includes a slate of February home dates ahead of a late-month series against Florida and the start of Atlantic Coast Conference play in early March. For Indiana State, the contest continued an opening road stretch that included games against nationally recognized opponents.

Final score: Miami 6, Indiana State 2 — Miami scored four runs across the seventh and eighth innings to decide the game.