UM dominated by state rival

After winning two out of three against Tennessee, the defending national champion Miami Hurricane baseball team faced Florida International University, in the 100th meeting between the cross-town foes.
Led by left-fielder Bernard Gonzalez, who went 2 for 3 with a homerun, a triple and three RBI, the Golden Panthers (2-1) defeated the Canes, 7-1 before 2,473 fans at FIU.
Three FIU pitchers combined on a four-hitter, led by a strong outing by sophomore Josh Banks, who pitched five innings, allowing one hit and one unearned run, while striking out a career-high 11.
“We made a lot of defensive mistakes that you just can’t expect to make if you hope to win,” UM coach Jim Morris said of the Hurricanes, who struck out 15 times and committed two errors. “We just have to look at our mistakes and learn from them in order to improve.”
The loss snapped Miami’s 16-game winning streak away from Mark Light Stadium. Freshman Brandon Camardese made his Hurricane debut, pitching four innings, allowing four runs on eight hits.
“He was around the plate at first, but we also made a couple of errors and before he knew it the bases loaded and that adds pressure,” Morris said. “I think he will be an outstanding pitcher for our team.”
The Golden Panthers opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning when center fielder Hector Nunez hit a bloop single with the bases loaded, scoring Alex Ensilage. Two batters later, catcher Tommy Duenas hit a two-run single, giving FIU a 3-0 lead.
FIU added a run in the bottom of the fourth on a solo homerun by Gonzalez.
The Hurricanes answered in the top of the fifth with an RBI double by freshman Danny Figueroa that cut the lead to 4-1.
The ‘Canes best scoring threat of the contest came in the top of the seventh when second baseman Joey Hooft and shortstop Javy Rodriguez each singled to lead off the inning. Danny Figueroa moved the runners to second and third on a ground out.
FIU coach Danny Price brought out left-handed pitcher Carlos Sanchez to face third baseman Kevin Howard. Sanchez delivered, striking out Howard. He then got catcher Danny Matienzo to ground out to short.
The Golden Panthers put the game away in the bottom half of the inning with three runs, capped by Gonzalez’s two-run triple, giving FIU a 7-1 lead.
The ‘Canes will try to bounce back when they open a three-game weekend series against the University of Florida at Mark Light Stadium tonight.
“We’ve got a great schedule this season, and Florida is going to be a challenge for us,” Morris said. “They’ve got almost their entire squad back this season, so it should be a great series.”