Baseball Tops Villanova 13-8 After Rain Delay
Feb. 25, 2000
Coral Gables, FL – Senior ace David Gil (3-0) won his 16th consecutive game, dating back to the 1998 season, with the University of Miami’s 13-8 win over visiting Villanova (0-2) at Mark Light Stadium.
Gil earned the decision with five innings pitched, allowing four hits, two walks, two runs (one earned) with 10 strikeouts. The senior out of Miami won his final outing in 1998, followed by a 12-0 record in 1999. Gil began the 2000 season with a win over Wake Forest and won in his last outing, prior to Villanova, against South Florida.
The Hurricanes (9-5) began scoring in the second inning with two runs following a bases loaded situation off Villanova starter Aaron Krawiec (0-1). In the inning, UM’s Kevin Brown led off with a single, followed by three consecutive walks by Krawiec. The third walk, brought in Brown from third. With two outs, VU catcher Dan Glover allowed a passed ball that scored Lale Esquivel from third.
The following inning, UM scored three more runs. Manny Crespo singled to right, then Brown and Esquivel each walked to load the bases. Krawiec then turned his fifth and sixth walks of the game to score Greg Lovelady and Danny Matienzo. UM’s final run of the inning came off a Kris Clute’s sacrifice fly to right field that scored Esquivel from third.
Villanova scored one run in the top of the fourth. Lovelady had his first pass ball of the season, which allowed VU’s Matt Longo to advance to third. The next batter, Nick Piantek, grounded out to Kevin Howard and scored Longo on the play.
UM came back with two more runs in the fourth, as true freshman shortstop Kevin Howard hit his first home run of his collegiate career to left field off VU reliever Bob Grzenda that also scored Mike Rodriguez. With the home run, Howard extended his team-high hitting streak to seven straight games – eight as a starter.
Krawiec left the game after pitching three innings with two hits, five runs, four earned runs, eight walks with four strikeouts.
After the Wildcats came back with one run in the top of the fifth, UM answered with three in the bottom of the inning. The first run came off the bat of true freshman first baseman Danny Matienzo, who had his second of home run of the season to right field. After getting his first hit of the season, Charlton Jimerson stole second and third. The next batter, Rodriguez, doubled to left center to score Jimerson. Crespo closed out fifth-inning scoring as he singled in Rodriguez for the 10-2 UM lead.
The Wildcats added one run in the sixth off of UM reliever Ryan Channell. Channell was making his first appearance of the 2000 season, after sitting out the majority of 1999 rehabilitating from Tommy John elbow surgery.
Villanova put together a strong rally in the top of the eighth scoring five runs off Hurricane relievers Dan Smith and Alex Prendes. Smith gave up four runs, two earned, while Prendes gave up one unearned run.
Miami answered with a insurance run in the bottom of the eighth, as Jimerson RBI singled in Clute from second.
Closer Luke DeBold finished the final 1.1 innings for the Hurricanes, retiring all five batters faced.
The game did not start at its originally scheduled 7 p.m. first pitch, but was rain-delayed 1:21.
Miami will play Eastern Michigan at the Homestead Challenge, Saturday (7:00 p.m.) and Sunday (4:00 p.m.)
