CORAL GABLES, Fla. (Interstat) — In a wild, back-and-forth Atlantic Coast Conference opener defined by missed opportunities and clutch relief pitching, Boston College outlasted Miami 8-7 in 11 innings Friday night at Mark Light Field at Alex Rodriguez Park.

The Eagles, who squandered a five-run lead and were outhit 16-9, scored the decisive run in the top of the 11th on a two-out, dropped third strike that allowed Sam Garcia to scamper home from third. Miami, which grounded into two double plays and left 14 runners on base, could not answer in the bottom half.

The most critical sequence came in the bottom of the seventh inning. Trailing 8-6, the Hurricanes had rallied to load the bases with one out against reliever Sean Hard. Dylan Dubovik, who earlier launched a three-run homer, delivered an RBI single to cut the deficit to one. With the bases still loaded and the go-ahead run in scoring position, Boston College turned to John Kwiatkowski. He induced a ground ball to third baseman Luke Gallo, who started a crucial 5-3 inning-ending double play to preserve the slim lead.

That lead would vanish in the ninth when Miami reliever Ryan Bilka surrendered two runs, but the Eagles’ bullpen again proved impenetrable. After Kwiatkowski escaped the seventh, he and Hard combined for 4 2/3 perfect innings of relief, striking out eight. Hard earned the win with three scoreless frames, and Kwiatkowski picked up his first save.

The game began as a slugfest. Miami struck first with two unearned runs in the first, but Boston College answered explosively in the third. Trailing 5-2, the Eagles sent nine men to the plate. Nick Wang provided the big blow, a three-run homer to deep center off Miami starter AJ Ciscar, part of a four-run inning that gave Boston College an 8-5 advantage.

Ciscar settled in after the rocky third, finishing with eight innings of work, allowing four earned runs on six hits. His counterpart, Boston College’s Cesar Gonzalez, was the star. Entering in the fourth with the bases loaded and no outs, the right-hander struck out the side to extinguish the threat. He went on to pitch three perfect innings, striking out six, and single-handedly halted Miami’s offensive momentum.

Dubovik led the Hurricanes’ offense, going 3 for 5 with a homer and four RBIs. Brylan West added two hits, including a double. For Boston College, Gallo went 2 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored.

The loss snapped a five-game winning streak for Miami (11-3, 0-1 ACC). Boston College improved to 8-5 and 1-0 in conference play. The teams continue their three-game series Saturday.