CORAL GABLES, Fla. (Interstat) — The Miami Hurricanes host the Louisville Cardinals on Thursday night at Mark Light Field at Alex Rodriguez Park in the opener of a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series.

First pitch is set for 7 p.m. with the forecast calling for 82 degrees and cloudy skies.

Miami (33-14) enters with the upper hand in the standings, while Louisville (26-23) looks to snap a five-game losing streak. The Hurricanes are coming off a series loss at North Carolina State, falling 12-7 on Saturday. Louisville dropped its last outing 12-6 at Vanderbilt on Tuesday.

The matchup features two of the ACC’s more productive players.

For Miami, left-hander AJ Ciscar is the projected starter. Ciscar took a no-decision in his last outing at NC State, allowing three earned runs over 6.1 innings with four strikeouts while yielding zero hits. He was sharp in his prior start, a 4-1 win over California on April 26, working 7.2 innings, allowing one earned run on 10 hits with seven strikeouts. On the season, Ciscar has been a steady presence in the rotation, though he was roughed up for five earned runs in 2.2 innings at Stanford on April 19.

Louisville counter with catcher Jimmy Nugent, who has been the Cardinals’ most consistent run producer. In Tuesday’s loss at Vanderbilt, Nugent went 1-for-3 with a home run and four RBIs. Over his last 10 games, he has homered in seven of them, including a two-homer, three-RBI performance in a 7-5 win over Clemson on April 26. He is hitting for power but has also struck out in recent outings.

The Cardinals have dropped four straight series after taking two of three from Clemson in late April. Their offense has been potent — scoring at least five runs in eight of their last nine — but pitching has been an issue. Louisville has allowed nine or more runs in five of its last six games.

Miami has been stronger at home, and the Hurricanes’ pitching staff has generally kept games within reach. The bullpen will be a key factor Thursday.

The game is the first of three between the teams. The series continues Friday and Saturday, both at 7 p.m. Interstat’s game simulator projects a 7-5 Miami win.