Early Offense Leads No. 9 Baseball to 9-5 Win
| LINESCORE | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| RU | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 0 |
| UM | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | x | 9 | 10 | 2 |
| PITCHING | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | |||||||
| W – Woodrey (1-0) | 6.0 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||||||
| L – McCoy (0-1) | 3.0 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 3 | ||||||
| INDIVIDUAL LEADERS | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AB | R | H | RBI | BB | HR | |||||||
| UM – Collins | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | ||||||
| UM – Thompson | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||||||
| PLAYER OF THE GAME |
|---|
 Zack Collins | So. | DH
Collins picked a perfect time for his first hit of the season, cranking a bases-loaded double down the rightfield line to give Miami a 3-2 lead in the second inning. |
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Just one day after struggling to string together any offense in their season opener, the Miami Hurricanes scored seven runs over the game’s first four innings Saturday, cruising to a 9-5 win over Rutgers at Mark Light Field.
Playing in the first leg of a doubleheader, Miami received an efficient start from lefthander Thomas Woodrey and early hitting against the Scarlet Knights to improve to 2-0 on the season.
A bases-clearing double from Zack Collins put Miami ahead in the bottom of the second, an RBI single from George Iskenderian made it 4-2 in the third, while some errant pitching from Rutgers reliever David Yakopec helped balloon Miami’s lead to five runs at 7-2 in the fourth.
Seven different Hurricanes recorded at least one hit, while Iskenderian and pinch hitter Justin Smith both recorded the first of their respective Miami careers.
Junior lefthander Thomas Woodrey (1-0), making his first start on the mound since March 2013, impressed in his season debut. The southpaw exited after six effective innings, having scattered five hits and just two earned runs, improving his career record to 9-0.
Woodrey dominated in the bullpen last season, finishing with a 2.54 ERA in 49.2 innings. The Lighthouse Point, Fla., native said making his first start in over two years was challenging, but he got more comfortable as the afternoon progressed.
“It was definitely a lot more mentally exhausting than I remember,” Woodrey said. “It goes by a lot slower than you would think. It was good. I started off a little shaky, made adjustments and just tried to get better as I went.”
After allowing a two-run home run to Tom Marcinczyk in the first inning, Woodrey allowed just two singles the rest of the way.
“With the team we have this year, and our lineup, I knew after the first inning I had to settle down and make my adjustments. I knew if I settled down, we would come back. Sure enough, that’s what happened.”
The Hurricanes rallied behind their pitcher after falling behind early. Back-to-back two-out singles from Christopher Barr and Carl Chester were followed by a walk to Ricky Eusebio that loaded the bases. Collins then turned on a 3-1 pitch from Rutgers starter Mark McCoy, cranking one into the rightfield corner to empty the bases and give Miami a 3-2 lead.
The hit was the first of the season for Collins, who hit .298 and won ACC Freshman of the Year in 2014.
A night after Miami’s bullpen shut down Rutgers in a come-from-behind win, redshirt junior Ryan Otero pitched three innings to close out Miami’s victory. He allowed two hits and two earned runs.
The Hurricanes return to Mark Light Field for the nightcap of their doubleheader Saturday at 7 p.m.
