No. 20 @CanesBaseball Walks Off with 5-4 Win

February 26, 2013

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – No. 20 Miami continued its winning ways Tuesday night, as a walk-off single from junior Alex Hernandez in the bottom of the ninth sent the Hurricanes to their eighth consecutive victory, this one over visiting St. Thomas University by a final margin of 5-4.

Hernandez’ hit capped off an impressive comeback for the Hurricanes, who were trailing most of the game. Senior Michael Broad’s two-RBI double in the bottom of the eighth tied the game at 4-4, while Hernandez’ bases-loaded single to right field helped the Canes stay perfect. The West Palm Beach, Fla., native extended his career-opening hitting streak to eight games in the win.

“It’s great for us to be able to come back again,” head coach Jim Morris said. “To be able to win in a walk-off, that makes it very, very exciting.”

Despite going down 0-2 in the count, Hernandez delivered an opposite-field single over the head of Bobcats’ rightfielder Edwin Rolon. Junior Dale Carey, who made a spectacular diving catch in the top of the ninth to preserve the deadlock, trotted home for the winning run.

“First, I was trying to put the ball in play,” Hernandez said. “I was trying to see something up, hit it hard and make something happen.”

Tuesday’s midweek matchup saw the return of two veteran hurlers for Miami: junior southpaw Bryan Radziewski and senior righthander Eric Whaley. While they received different results on the mound Tuesday against the Bobcats, head coach Jim Morris expressed his excitement about having two of his top arms back healthy.

“It’s good to have B-Rad back. It’s good to have Whaley back,” Morris said. “Hopefully those guys will be healthy. That would really help our pitching staff.”

Radziewski was granted the start Tuesday, finishing with two solid innings under his belt in the return. The Miami, Fla., native, who hadn’t faced live opposition since March of 2012 after undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery, struck out three batters before being pulled after 32 pitches.

The junior allowed Bobcats lead-off hitter Ozney Guillen to reach third on a personal throwing error to open the game. Showing some of the form that earned him Freshman All-American honors back in 2011, Radziewski buckled down, sandwiching two strikeouts around a groundout to get out of the inning unharmed.

“I was going to make sure to leave him at third base,” he said. “I have to do my job and show what I’m capable of. That’s what I did.”

The junior southpaw set St. Thomas down in order in the top of the second before being pulled after 32 pitches.

Despite a tough outing for Whaley, who allowed three earned runs in just 1.1 innings of work, Miami rallied late once again, this time facing a 4-2 deficit. Hernandez opened the eighth inning with a walk, and advanced to third on a double from Chantz Mack. After a groundout from David Thompson and a strikeout from Brad Fieger, Broad belted a two-out double into the gap in left-center to tie the game up at 4-4.

Carey and junior Tyler Palmer opened the ninth with back-to-back walks, while freshman Ricky Eusebio laid a bunt down the third base line to load the bases. From there, Hernandez delivered the heroics, looping a ball over Rolon’s head for the gamewinner.

Relievers Frank Grandinette, Vince Kossak, Enrique Sosa and AJ Salcines (2-0) pitched 5.2 innings in relief, combining for four hits and one earned run. Aided by Carey’s jaw-dropping diving grab, Salcines pitched a flawless final half-inning to give the Hurricanes a chance to complete their comeback.

Miami improved to a perfect 8-0 on the season, opening their campaign with eight consecutive victories for the second straight year.

The Hurricanes will battle visiting Barry University Wednesday at Alex Rodriguez Park before traveling to Gainesville, Fla., for a three-game set with Florida. First pitch Wednesday is set for 6 p.m.