The University of Miami baseball team won two out of three games against conference and state rival Florida State to clinch a much-needed series victory.
The first game of the series ended in a surprise 5-3 win for the Hurricanes in front of a sold out Mark Light Field. The ‘Canes remained scoreless until the bottom of the eighth inning. Florida State’s right-handed pitcher, Brian Chambers, walked Jon Jay and Danny Valencia, creating an opportunity for Miami to edge the Seminoles’ lead.
Cesar Carrillo opened the game on the mound, having a less-than-expected performance. He lasted just six innings at pitcher, allowing three earned runs.
“He didn’t have his best game with him, but I’m not trading him for anyone, I can assure you of that,” said Head Coach Jim Morris.
With Carrillo’s unbeaten streak at stake, the ‘Canes made full use of their relief pitchers for the final three innings. Andrew Lane, Danny Gil and Chris Perez were able to hold off the Seminoles.
“Florida State is our biggest rival and part of the ACC so they aren’t getting the first win and [Carrillo’s] not getting his first loss,” Lane said. “It felt wonderful to be able to help him out.”
The Hurricanes secured the series on Saturday night by winning 5-2. Paco Figueroa started the scoring with a homerun in the first inning. It remained a ‘Canes lead until the Seminoles evened up the score at 1-1 in the top of the third. Danny Figueroa produced the second run of the game, giving the Hurricanes a one run edge. The lead was extended by Alex Garabedian’s RBI single that brought home Walter Diaz.
FSU’s final success was a home run by Daniel Wardell. At the bottom of the seventh inning, the ‘Canes concluded the scoring for the rest of the game after manufacturing two runs.
The Seminoles dominated the final game of the series and were relentless in their efforts to keep the ‘Canes from sweeping the series. Only one run was scored by Walter Diaz off of a hit by Roger Tomas in the bottom of the second. The Seminoles, however, were able to rack up 13 runs against the opponents. A grand slam by Wardell accounted for four runs alone during the fifth inning.
Ricky Orta began the game as the pitcher, walking the first two batters to initiate the scoring trend that continued throughout the remaining innings. Orta lasted four innings on the mound before Miami brought in relief pitchers Manny Miguelez, Scott Maine and John McLean.
Morris showed disappointment in the loss but recognized the overall abilities of the team and the success of the series as a whole.
“They beat us in every phase of the game. The bottom line is we didn’t play well,” Morris said. “We need to move on and start focusing on next weekend.”
Stacey Arnold can be contacted at s.arnold@umiami.edu.