Baseball Takes Series With #20 East Carolina In 8-4 Win
March 18, 2001
Coral Gables, Fla. (www.hurricanesports.com) — – In eight innings of play, the #7 Miami Hurricanes (21-6) defeated #20 East Carolina, 8-4, to take the three-game series with the Pirates two games to one in front of 1,309 fans at Mark Light Stadium.
After starting the game 41 minutes late due to rain, the Hurricanes scored five runs over the first 2.2 innings on ECU starter Foye Minton (4-1) to hand him his first loss of the season. As Minton was departing in favor of Jason Tourangeau, the rain came in and halted the game for another hour. The Pirates had a 5:15 p.m. curfew that eventually stopped the game following the eighth inning.
UM starter Tom Farmer (5-1) earned the victory on the mound after going 6.2 innings with eight hits, four runs (all earned), two walks and two strikeouts. Farmer had allowed just one run midway into the seventh with two outs already registered, but the Pirates tallied four consecutive singles to score three. Farmer’s counterpart, Minton, allowed 10 hits, five runs (all earned), one walk and one strikeout. UM’s Andrew Cohn earned his first save after finishing off the final 1.1 innings with a walk and two strikeouts.
Offensively, three UM batters had multiple hits, including Kevin Howard (4-for-4), Mike DiRosa (3-for-4) and Marcus Nettles (2-for-3). Howard also totaled two runs scored and one RBI. DiRosa had one run scored and two RBI. Nettles added two runs scored and one walk. Danny Matienzo also had two RBI.
Miami opened the scoring, 1-0, in the first when Matienzo doubled down the left field line to score Nettles from third. Nettles led off the frame with a double down the left field line and took third when Javy Rodriguez reached base on a fielding error by the first baseman.
Charlton Jimerson’s single to centerfield. Howard reached base with an infield single toward first base. DiRosa was on third when he scored after Nettles singled to left field.
ECU narrowed the Miami lead, 3-1, in the top of the third on Clif Godwin’s solo home run deep to right field.
UM came back with two runs in the bottom of the third, 5-1, just prior to the second rain delay. Howard brought in the first run, Kevin Mannix, with a single to left field. Kris Clute then brought in Haas Pratt with a sacrifice fly to right field. Mannix earlier reached base with a single to left field and moved to third on Pratt’s double down the left field line. Pratt moved to third on Howard’s single.
Still in the third, DiRosa singled to centerfield, moving Howard to third. Nettles then drew a walk to load the bases. Minton was then replaced with Tourangeau. After a one-hour delay, Tourangeau retired the final batter to end the threat.
In the sixth, Miami went up 6-1 when DiRosa singled to left field to score Howard from second. Howard reached base with a double to right centerfield.
ECU came back with three runs in the seventh as the Pirates forced Farmer off the mound. John Williamson led off with a walk, followed by Lee Delfino’s foul out. Godwin then flew out to left field to register the second out of the inning. Clayton McCullough came up with a single to right field to put runners on first and second. Ben Sanderson brought in the first run, Williamson, with his single to centerfield. Warren Gaspar then scored, McCullough, with his single to right field. Bryant Ward followed with another single to score Sanderson.
Miami answered in the eighth with two runs on two hits on ECU reliever Will Brinson for the eventual 8-4 final.
Miami returns to action Wednesday, March 21, against Cornell at Mark Light Stadium. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m. UM will host Northeastern for a three-game series next weekend, March 23-25. Each game can be heard on UM’s official athletics website 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.
