Baseball Continues Dominance Over C.W. Post
March 4, 2000
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami baseball team (13-6)continued its offensive outburst over visiting C.W. Post (0-3) with a 21-6victory over the Pioneers in the second game of a three-game series at MarkLight Stadium on the UM campus.UM totaled 25 hits in the game, which is the second-most in school history.On Friday, UM handed C.W. Post a 19-2 loss.
UM starter Kiki Bengochea (2-1) earned his second consecutive winwith six innings pitched, allowing five hits, no walks, seven strikeouts andtwo unearned runs.
The Hurricanes started quick scoring four runs in the bottom of thefirst. Junior Kevin Brown brought the first three runs in with a toweringhome run over the left field scoreboard, scoring sophomore Mike Rodriguezand freshman Kevin Howard. Rodriguez led off the game with a single, thenstole second. Howard followed up with another single and later moved tosecond on a passed ball. Howard’s hit extends his team-high hitting streakto 12 games. Later in the inning, freshman Kevin Mannix hit a double toleft center that scored senior Lale Esquivel from second. Esquivel hadearlier reached base with on a walk.
Miami continued its scoring in the second with three more runs.Rodriguez led off with a double to right center and scored on the next atbat when Howard doubled to left center. After C.W. Post loaded the bases,sophomore catcher Mike DiRosa scored Esquivel and Matienzo with a singledown the left field line. Esquivel had reached base on a walk, whileMatienzo got on with an infield single to the shortstop.
UM opened the lead to 12-0 with a five-run fourth. Brown led offthe inning with an infield single to the third baseman. Esquivel followedup with an infield single to the shortstop. A wild pitch allowed each tomove up a base. Junior Manny Crespo brought in the first run, scoring Brownfrom third on an infield single towards the third baseman. Later in theinning Mannix singled to center field, scoring Esquivel and junior GregLovelady, who was pinch running for Crespo. The next batter, junior KrisClute, brought in the final run of the inning with a single to left fieldthat scored DiRosa.
C.W. Post starter Tim Keinath (0-1) left after the fourth inning, havingallowed 14 hits, five walks, three strikeouts and 12 runs – all earned.Miami scored one in the fifth when DiRosa reached on an error by theshortstop, allowing freshman Chad Strong to score.
The Pioneers put two runs on the scoreboard in the sixth, both unearned, butMiami answered with two of their own in the bottom of the inning. SophomoreJavy Rodriguez hit his first home run of the season to left field.Sophomore Marcus Nettles then hit a double in the next at bat. Strongfollowed with a deep shot to center, which was misplayed by thecenterfielder allowing Nettles to score.
C.W. Post scored one run off UM reliever sophomore Dan Smith in the top ofthe seventh, but the Pioneers allowed four Miami runs to score in the bottomof the inning. After senior Mark Walker reached on a walk and Mannixreached on a double down the left field line, Clute brought both in on anRBI single to right field. Clute later scored after a Javy Rodriguez singleto left center. Nettles single to left center that scored junior CharltonJimerson closed out scoring in the inning with UM leading 19-3.
With the win over the Pioneers, Miami has now won 15 consecutive three-gameseries and 32 of its last 33. At Mark Light Stadium, the Hurricanes havenow won 38 of 39 three-game series.
Miami and C.W. Post complete the three-game series on Sunday, March 5 at 1p.m. at Mark Light Stadium. UM will play Michigan State in a mid-week gameon Wednesday, March 8, before starting a three-game series with Rutgers.
