Baseball Sweep Series With 33-0 Win Over C.W. Post
March 5, 2000
Coral Gables, FL – The University of Miami baseball team (14-6) kept its hot offense on track with a series sweeping, 33-0, win over C.W. Post (0-4) at Mark Light Stadium on the UM campus. In the game, UM broke nearly every offensive record, including runs (33), hits (32), RBI (30), at bats (57).
The 33-0 margin of victory shatters UM’s previous record of 25-0 over Barry on January 31, 1996. In the three-game series, UM scored a school-record 73 runs – 11 more than the 62 total runs scored on Notre Dame during the 1998 season. Including Saturday night’s 21-6 win, it is just the second-time ever UM has had back-to-back 20-run games in school history. Miami won 19-2 on Friday night.
The three-game sweep over the Pioneers marks the 15th consecutive three-game series won by the Hurricanes and the 32nd of their last 33. At Mark Light Stadium, the Hurricanes have now won 38 of 39 three-game series.
In his first collegiate start, junior Greg Howell (2-1) went a pre-game determined four innings allowing one hit, no walks or runs with a career-best five strikeouts.
UM started strong with a five-run first inning, when senior Lale Esquivel hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield to bring in sophomore Mike Rodriguez from third. Rodriguez had reached on a walk and advanced to third on a single by freshman Kevin Howard. Howard’s single extended his team-high hitting streak to 13 games. Freshman Danny Matienzo knocked in Howard with a single to right field. Sophomore Javy Rodriguez then scored Matienzo in from second with a single up the middle. Sophomore Mike DiRosa followed up with a single that scored Rodriguez and freshman Kevin Mannix.
The Hurricanes added eight more runs in the third to jump out to a 13-0 lead. DiRosa knocked in the first run off a fielder’s choice that scored Esquivel from third. Junior Kris Clute then singled to score Matienzo. Howard then scored three more Miami runs on a single to right field, bringing in Clute and DiRosa, followed by a throwing error on the right-fielder that allowed Mike Rodriguez to score. Junior Kevin Brown doubled to score Howard from third. Matienzo followed with a single to score Brown from third. Two consecutive wild pitches by C.W. Post starter Hector Duprey (0-1) allowed Esquivel to score, closing out the eight-run inning.
In the fourth, UM extended the lead to 14-0 when Clute doubled in DiRosa. DiRosa1 reached base on an error by the C.W. Post shortstop.
Miami ran the lead to 23-0 scoring a season-high nine-run fifth inning. All nine runs scored with two outs showing. Pioneer reliever Jeff Cohen walked in Esquivel following a bases-loaded situation to start the scoring. To end the scoring, Esquivel hit a three-run homer to left center.
In the seventh, Esquivel repeated the feat with another three-run home run.
UM will play Michigan State in a mid-week game on Wednesday, March 8, before starting a three-game series with Rutgers over the weekend.
