A three-homer first inning sparked the University of Miami baseball team on Wednesday night and a five-run seventh secured a road win over FAU, 16-6.
Raymond Gil had a two-homer game and Anthony Vilar posted four hits as the Hurricanes (16-9, 3-6 ACC) secured a season series win over the Owls (16-9, 5-1 C-USA). Miami beat FAU, 11-4, in the first meeting between the two sides on Feb. 20. Wednesday's win also snapped a six-game losing streak for the Canes.
Jordan Lala put a charge into a 2-0 pitch from FAU starter Ryan Sandberg, belting his second career leadoff homer. The freshman, who hit his first career homer to open the Appalachian State game on March 6, got Miami's offense going from the start and his teammates followed his lead.
Gil crushed a one-out two-run homer to left that pushed home Vilar, while Alex Toral delivered the final blow to Sandberg's night, destroying the first pitch he saw from the sophomore and depositing into the trees beyond the batting cages past the right field fence.
Miami's three-homer first inning ended Sandberg's night after just six batters, allowing five runs over just one third of an inning before being replaced by left-hander Hunter Cooley.
The Canes added two runs in the top of the second, as Freddy Zamora pushed Lala home with a sacrifice fly and Gil drove in Vilar with an RBI base hit through the left side that made it 7-0.
After a rough start by Sandberg and some mixed results from Cooley, FAU's bullpen settled in. Cooley threw a scoreless third and Jon Jon Kostantis followed with three scoreless innings of relief. The Owls retired 10 straight Hurricanes from the end of the second through the fifth and that allowed FAU to chip away at the seven-run Miami lead.
FAU saw its first eight batters retired by Miami starter Slade Cecconi, but the Owls got on the scoreboard with two outs in the bottom of the third. Ninth hitter Jacob Josey doubled to left and scored on an RBI single to center by Eric Rivera that gave FAU some life after struggling early against the freshman right-hander.
The Owls got a rally going in the fifth, as Mitchell Hartigan's two-run homer and Gunnar Lambert's two-out solo shot cut Miami's lead to three, 7-4
An inning later FAU nearly cut the lead to one, as Pedro Pages' double to center landed just shy of the wall. Cecconi was lifted with two on and one out in the sixth in favor of JP Gates, who started as Miami's designated hitter, but earned his fourth win of the season. Joe Montes drove both runners home with a two-run single to center that brought the Owls within one, 7-6.
But the Hurricanes' offense charged back with a five-run seventh inning, sending all nine players to bat against a pair of FAU pitchers.
Miami's rally began against right-hander Vince Colleti, as the right-hander walked Toral with the bases loaded to push home a run. But it was Gates' two-run double off the wall in left that broke the inning open and ended Colleti's night.
Gabe Rivera singled off right-hander Dylan Carter, driving home Toral and putting runners at the corners before stealing second and helping Gates score from third on a throwing error by the catcher, Pages, that gave Miami a 12-6 advantage.
The Canes had a three-run rally in the eighth, capped by a two-run homer by Gil that gave the sophomore his second two-homer game of his career. Gil also hit a pair of home runs against UMBC on March 3.
nemo,Windy
I like Martell on tape when he is running around but looking downfield,
On the other side he looks like about the height of a ninth grader.
Enos says Williams has excellent mechanics and spends lots of extra time on the playbook.
If Williams is gun shy none of that matters.
I still think kosi transfers, but maybe he lives up to his high school hype and balls out.
The o line will make any of them look bad when the heats on, I haven't read one positive word about the O line.
Posted by: solarcane | March 30, 2019 at 09:42 PM
I haven't read one positive word about the O line.
Posted by: solarcane | March 30, 2019 at 09:42 PM
The wurd on da skreetz is dat there uniforms are REALLY clean.
Posted by: 86Cane | March 30, 2019 at 10:04 PM
So, unless Martell and Williams continue to improve, it appears Perry will be the starter.
Posted by: BigWindyCane | March 30, 2019 at 05:14 PM
That is GREAT news!
Oh, wait, maybe not so much.
Which is it?
Posted by: 86Cane | March 30, 2019 at 10:06 PM
I cannot imagine another year with pornboy as QB....he is not a good qb at all....and he could care less about the TEAM. Screw his dumbass...do not want him out there.
Posted by: VA Cane | March 30, 2019 at 10:59 PM
I've been watching lots of the March Madness basketball games on TV. And there is one thing that I really don't understand. Why is it that none of the tournament teams has a starting player 5'6" or 5'7"?
Posted by: nemo2002 | March 30, 2019 at 11:04 PM
NEW BLOG IS UP!
Posted by: 86Cane | March 30, 2019 at 11:06 PM