Baseball Defeats Pittsburgh 6-2 For Seventh Straight Win
March 7, 2001
Coral Gables, Fla. (www.hurricanesports.com) — – The University of Miami baseball team (16-3), ranked as high as third nationally by Baseball America, handed Pittsburgh (4-1) its first loss of the season, 6-2, at Mark Light Stadium. Additionally, the victory was the Hurricanes’ seventh straight on the season.
Reliever Vince Vazquez (1-0) earned his first win of the season in just his third appearance after sitting out the 2000 year and the first month of 2001 following Tommy John elbow surgery. Vazquez last earned a victory on May 8, 1999 against Jacksonville. UM out-hit Pittsburgh 7-3 in the game, equalling the Hurricanes season-low in hits allowed from the Minnesota game.
The Hurricanes were led offensively by redshirt Jim Burt, who went 2-for-2 with three runs scored, one walk and one hit-by-pitch. Marcus Nettles also had a multiple-hit effort with two singles, one run scored, one RBI, two walks and two stolen bases.
Pittsburgh opened the scoring in the fifth, 1-0, on relief pitcher Dan Touchet’s balk that allowed Rolando Bello to score from third. Bello reached base on a walk, took second on Mike Zambricki’s single to left field and to third on Scott Folmar’s fly out to centerfield. UM starter Chris Sheffield had left the game prior to the start of the fifth with 4.0 innings pitched, no hits, no runs, two walks and four strikeouts.
Miami answered in the bottom of the fifth, 1-1, on Brad Safchik’s RBI single to shallow left field that scored Burt from third. Burt led off the inning being hit by a Scott Schultz pitch, took second on Mike DiRosa’s sacrifice bunt and to third on a wild pitch. The hit was Safchik’s first as a Hurricane, as well as first RBI.
During the fifth, Schultz was replaced with reliever T.J. Gornati (1-1). Schultz went 4.2 innings with three hits, one earned run, three walks, six strikeouts, three wild pitches and one hit batter.
The Hurricanes broke out in the seventh, 5-1, with four runs off two hits, plus four walks. Javy Rodriguez put the Hurricanes ahead, 4-1, with a bases-clearing triple that scored Burt, DiRosa and Marcus Nettles. Miami then went up 5-1 on Kevin Howard’s RBI single to right field that scored Rodriguez from third. Burt led off the inning with walk, followed by another walk to DiRosa. Safchik moved the runners over with a sacrifice bunt, followed by an intentional walk to Nettles to load the bases.
Pittsburgh chipped into the Miami lead, 5-2, with Brant Colamarino’s sacrifice grounder that scored Tony Railing from third. Railing reached base with a single to right field and took second on a fielding error by Kevin Mannix. He moved to third on Bryan Spamer’s ground out.
Miami made the score 6-2 in the eighth with Nettles single to left center that scored Burt from third.
The Hurricanes will return to action this upcoming weekend in a three-game series against BIG EAST-power Rutgers, March 9-11, at Mark Light Stadium. Game times are scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday. All three games will be broadcast on WVUM 90.5 FM, as well as over the Internet at hurricanesports.com. UM’s Spanish Broadcasting Network on WACC 830 AM Radio Paz will carry the Saturday game.
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.
