Baseball Wins Hormel Foods Classic With 8-2 Win Over Arkansas
March 4, 2001
Minneapolis, MN (www.hurricanesports.com) — – The University of Miami (15-3), ranked as high as fourth nationally by Baseball America, defeated #21 Arkansas (9-5), 8-2, on the final day of the 2001 Hormel Foods Baseball Classic at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. The win gives Miami the Classic championship after UM won all three games against San Diego State, Minnesota and the Razorbacks.
The Hurricanes, who are now riding a season-best six-game win streak, also won the University of Minnesota tournament in 1990, with a three-game sweep at the Pillsbury Baseball Classic. Miami was also in the championship game of the 1986 Wheaties Classic of Champions, but fell to Michigan.
UM starter Tom Farmer (4-0) tied a career-best pitching 7.0 innings, nine hits, two earned runs, one walk and six strikeouts. The six strikeouts is a season-high for Farmer, while the nine hits allowed surpassed his previous high of seven hits, set two times, and last vs. Michigan State on March, 8, 2000.
Offensively, Miami put together 11 hits in the game, including four extra-base hits. Mike DiRosa homered for the second time in the tournament, along with a triple and two doubles by his teammates. UM was led by Mike Rodriguez, who went 3-4 from the plate with one run scored and one RBI. Kevin Howard also had a multiple hit game going 2-4 at the plate. A total of eight UM batters tallied hits, with seven contributing a RBI. On the basepath, the Hurricanes stole four bases and were not caught stealing at all. Defensively, Miami had a season-best three double plays in the game and no errors.
The Hurricanes opened up scoring, 2-0, in the bottom of the first with two runs on two hits and one walk on Arkansas starting pitcher Charlie Isaacson (2-2). Marcus Nettles led of the frame with a walk and then stole second. Mike Rodriguez moved Nettles to third with an infield single towards first base. Mike Rodriguez then stole second while Javy Rodriguez struck out swinging. Nettles then scored on a ground out by Kevin Brown, also advancing Mike Rodriguez to third. Kevin Mannix drove in Mike Rodriguez with a single to centerfield.
Arkansas answered in the top of the second with one run Aaron Graves RBI single up the middle that scored Scott Crossett from second. Crossett reached base with an infield single towards shortstop and stole second.
Miami then came back with two more runs on two hits for the 4-1 lead. Matt Dryer led off the with a double down the left field line and took third on Mike DiRosa’s deep fly out to centerfield. Charlton Jimerson then singled to left field to score Dryer. Jimerson stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error from the catcher. Jimerson scored on Nettles sacrifice fly to right field.
UM added one more run in the third, 5-1, when Mannix came home from third on a passed ball by the Arkansas catcher. Mannix reached base on a throwing error from the shortstop and stole second. He moved to third on Howard’s infield single towards the shortstop.
The Razorbacks narrowed the Miami lead, 5-2, with two outs showing in the fourth when Graves tripled in Crossett from first with a deep shot to right field that got by Mannix. Crossett reached base with a single up the middle
DiRosa pushed the Hurricanes lead to 6-2 in the fourth with his second home run of the tournament, a 381-foot shot, deep to left center. The home run was the first given up by Isaacson in 2001 and just the fourth in the junior’s career.
Miami went up 7-2 in the sixth when Mike Rodriguez drove Nettles in all the way from first with a single up the middle. Nettles had reached base also with a single to centerfield. Following the a wild pitch that allowed Mike Rodriguez to move to second, Arkansas replaced Isaacson with Justin Leraris. Isaacson went 5.2 innings with nine hits, seven runs (five earned), one walk, eight strikeouts, one wild pitch and a hit batter.
The Hurricanes added another run in the seventh, 8-2, on two hits. Brown led off with a triple off the wall in right center. Jim Burt then drove him in with a deep fly out to left center on full count. Following a single to centerfield from Howard, Arkansas replaced Leraris with Wes McCrotty. In Leraris’ 0.2 innings pitched, he gave up two hits and one earned run.
Reliever Luke DeBold relieved Farmer entering the eighth and retired the side, including one by strikeout. George Huguet came in for the final inning.
Miami will return to action on Wednesday, March 7 against Pittsburgh at 7 p.m. at Mark Light Stadium. The game can be heard over the student voice of the Hurricanes, WVUM 90.5 FM, as well as on the Internet at hurricanesports.com.
Call 1-800-GO-CANES for season and individual game ticket information. To join the excitement, log on to hurricanesports.com and become a member of Hurricane Watch, the on-line loyalty program that allows you to purchase tickets on-line, transfer tickets to friends via email and earn Hurricane rewards for each game you attend at the Light.
