No. 9 Hurricanes Open Series With 19-2 Drubbing Of C.W. Post
March 3, 2000
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami baseball team (12-6)scored a season-high 19 runs in a 19-2 rout of visiting C.W. Post (0-2) inthe first of a three-game series at Mark Light Stadium.
UM starter Brian Walker (3-1) won his third straight decision as thesophomore tied his career-long with six innings pitched and established anew career-high with 10 strikeouts. He also allowed six hits, two walks andtwo earned runs. Walker moved into the No. 1 slot in the rotation afterusual No. 1 David Gil broke his nose in a car accident earlier in the week.
After two scoreless innings Miami ignited its offense with four-run third.Sophomore Mike Rodriguez started the scoring with a solo home run to rightcenter off C.W. Post starter John Alt (0-1). UM’s next batter, freshmanKevin Howard, followed up with a single to right field. The single extendedHoward’s team-high hitting streak to 11 games – 12 as a starter. JuniorKevin Brown then hit his team leading eighth double of the season, scoringHoward from first. After a passed ball advanced Brown to third, senior LaleEsquivel followed with his fourth double on the year to bring in UM’s thirdrun. The Hurricanes closed out its four-run third when freshman DannyMatienzo singled in Esquivel from second.
UM put together another four-run inning in the fourth to distance itselffrom C.W. Post. Senior Mark Walker reached on a walk and advanced to secondon a wild pitch by Pioneer reliever Jarrod Douglass. Walker then advancedto third on a bunt by Marcus Nettles. Nettles then advanced to second withhis team-best 13th stolen base. C.W. Post shortstop John Kluz bobbled aninfield hit by pinch-hitter freshman Chad Strong, allowing Walker to score.UM’s next batter, Brown, hit his third home run of the season to left fieldto push the Hurricane lead to 8-0.
The Pioneers score twice in the fifth after Javier Piza hit a hard grounderby junior Kris Clute, who moved to shortstop after playing the first fourinnings at second, allowing two C.W. Post runners to score on a bases-loadedsituation.
In the sixth, Matienzo added another run as he sacrifice-flied to rightfield to score Brown from third. Brown had reached by a hit-by-pitch,advanced to second on a single from Esquivel and stole third.
The Hurricanes erupted for four more runs in the seventh off C.W. Postreliever David Rivera. Rivera loaded the bases, walked in sophomore MikeDiRosa, then allowed sophomore Javy Rodriguez to score on a wild pitch.Matienzo singled to left field later in the inning to score Brown andfreshman Kevin Mannix. Rivera allowed five runs, all earned, on six walksand one hit batter. He also threw three wild pitches in 1.2 innings ofrelief.
Miami added another six runs in the eighth off Pioneer reliever Tom Gatz.Mark Walker doubled in DiRosa for the first run, followed by a two-run homerun deep to centerfield by junior Charlton Jimerson. Later in the inning,Esquivel hit his team-high fifth home run of the season deep to right centerthat also scored Brown and Mannix.
The 19 runs surpass the previous season-high of 17 runs scored againstFlorida on February 5 and most since a 24-5 victory over Elon on May 2,1999.Also not in the UM lineup, for the second straight game, was junior MannyCrespo, who strained a lower back muscle in the car accident with Gil.With a win over C.W. Post on Saturday, the Hurricanes will have won 15straight three-game series and 32 of their last 33. A second win over thePioneers will also assure the Hurricanes their 38th three-game series won atMark Light Stadium in their last 39.
Miami will face C.W. Post again on Saturday, March 4 at 7 p.m. at Mark LightStadium. WACC 830 AM will carry the game in Spanish, while student radioWVUM 90.5 FM will also broadcast the game.
