Baseball Clinches Series With 9-6 Win Over FSU
April 21, 2001
Tallahassee, Fla. (www.hurricanesports.com) — – Kevin Brown’s two-run homer in the eighth inning on relief pitcher Marc Lamacchia’s first pitch broke propelled the Hurricanes (32-10) to a series clinching 9-6 victory over #3 Florida State (34-11) in front of a season-high crowd of 5,051 fans at Dick Howser Stadium Saturday night.
Miami, ranked as high as sixth by Baseball America, jumped out to a 5-1 lead going into the bottom of the sixth inning, but the Seminoles fought back to eventually tie the game, 6-6, with five runs over sixth and seventh innings. After Brown had his two-run shot in the eighth, UM added a insurance in the top of the ninth on Danny Matienzo’s sacrifice fly that scored Javy Rodriguez, who reached base with a triple.
Vince Vazquez (2-1) earned the win in relief, while George Huguet picked up his 10th save of the season.
The Hurricanes slugged out three home runs for the second straight night on FSU’s pitching and out-hit the Seminoles 11-10 overall. Javy Rodriguez led the hitting going 3-for-5 at the plate with three runs scored. Mike Rodriguez went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and a walk. Brown, Charlton Jimerson and Mike DiRosa each homered for the Hurricanes.
With the victory, Miami claimed the season and Tallahassee series with the Seminoles. On the 2001 season, UM has already defeated FSU four games to one with the Sunday game still looming. The last time UM took the series in Tallahassee was during the 1999 National Championship season, when the Hurricanes lost the opener to FSU and proceeded to win the next six games. The sixth game between the two teams was a 6-5 win over FSU in the NCAA title game.
Miami started the scoring in the first, 1-0, when Jimerson, the lead off batter, took a first-pitch off FSU starter Matt Lynch deep over the scoreboard in left field.
FSU tied the game in the second, 1-1, when UM starter Brian Walker overthrew first base on Jeff Probst’s sacrifice bunt that allowed Nick Rogers to come around from second to score. Rogers led off the inning with a walk and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from Mike Futrell.
The Hurricanes went ahead in the fourth, 3-1, when DiRosa took a Lynch first pitch over the fence in right field for his eighth home run of the season that also scored Mike Rodriguez. Mike Rodriguez earlier reached base with a single to right field.
UM added another run in the fifth, 4-1, when Matienzo knocked in Javy Rodriguez from third base with a bloop single to centerfield. Javy Rodriguez reached base with a single to right field and later advanced all the way to third on an errant pick-off throw from Lynch.
Miami extended its lead in the sixth, 5-1, when Mike Rodriguez came around to score from second on Jimerson’s fielder’s choice grounder that was misplayed by the FSU second baseman. On the play, DiRosa was tagged out at second and the relay to first when over Ryan Barthelemy’s head to allow the run to tag up.
FSU narrowed Miami’s lead in the bottom of the sixth, 5-3, on Karl Jernigan’s two-run home run to left field that also scored Barthelemy. Barthelemy earlier reached base on a single to right field. Walker was relieved with two outs in the inning with Chris Sheffield, after going 5.2 innings with five hits, three runs (two earned), four walks and two strikeouts.
Reliever Daniel Hodges (3-1) started the seventh inning in relief of Lynch, who pitched 6.0 innings with six hits, five runs (three earned), four walks and seven strikeouts.
The Hurricanes came up with one run in the seventh, 6-3, on Matienzo’s sacrifice fly RBI to centerfield that scored Javy Rodriguez from third. Javy Rodriguez earlier reached base with his third triple of the season down the left field line.
The Seminoles came back to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh, 6-6, on three runs off four hits. Tony Ritchie led off the inning with a double to right center. Bryan Zech then hit a single to right field. Sheffield was replaced with Alex Prendes with runners on first and third. Prendes struck out John-Ford Griffin just before Barthelemy came up with a RBI double to right center to score Ritchie. Vazquez came in to relieve Prendes after the double. Karl Jernigan followed with a two RBI single to left field off Vazquez to score both base runners.
Miami answered in the top of the eighth, 8-6, with a two-run home run to left field by Brown off LaMacchia, also scoring pinch runner Marcus Nettles. Kevin Mannix led off the inning with a single to left field and was replaced with Nettles at first.
Miami added a run in the ninth, 9-6, when Kevin Howard hit a RBI single to right field to score Javy Rodriguez all the way from second. Javy Rodriguez reached base with a single to left field and stole second.
Miami and Florida State will conclude the series on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. at Dick Howser Stadium. The Sunday game against FSU can be on the student voice of the Hurricanes, WVUM 90.5 FM, as well as on the Internet at hurricanesports.com.
Call 1-800-GO-CANES for season and individual game ticket information. To join the excitement, log on to hurricanesports.com and become a member of Hurricane Watch, the on-line loyalty program that allows you to purchase tickets on-line, transfer tickets to friends via email and earn Hurricane rewards for each game you attend at the Light.
