Hurricanes Host St. Peter's and Stony Brook in Mid-Week Games
March 17, 2003
CORAL GABLES, Fla. (hurricanesports.com) — Miami returns to the baseball diamond for two mid-week games on Tuesday, March 18, and Wednesday, March 19, against Saint Peter’s College (N.J.) and Stony Brook.
It will be the first meeting between the Hurricanes and either Saint Peter’s College or Stony Brook.
UM is 15-4 on the season after dropping an 8-7 loss to Rutgers on Sunday afternoon in 12 innings.
Both Stony Brook and Saint Peter’s College are playing in the Papa John’s Challenge in Homestead, Fla. Stony Brook beat Rider on Sunday, 6-2, and take a 3-1 record into its Monday, March 17, game with Kansas State. The Seawolves will then take on FIU in the second half of a double header on Monday. Stony Brook will play Rider again on Tuesday, March 18, before heading to Coral Gables to take on the Hurricanes.
Saint Peter’s College played its first game of the season on Sunday, March 16, dropping a 7-4 decision to Kansas State in Homestead. Their first six games of the season were cancelled due to weather.
Ryan Braun and Jim Burt lead the club offensively with .377 batting averages with Gaby Sanchez close behind at .364. Sanchez also leads the team in RBIs with 21 with Braun in second with 18 RBIs. On the mound, J.D. Cockroft sports a 4-0 record and a 1.95 ERA in 32.1 innings. Cockroft’s 32.1 innings this season is a career-high after serving as UM’s setup man out of the bullpen last season.
Miami’s pitching rotation is yet to be determined, but sophomore Ryan Dixon (0-0, 6.97 ERA) will start one of the two mid-week games.
Miami took a 2-0 lead into the top of the seventh inning on Sunday, but gave up a season-high six runs in the inning, while using four pitchers. The Canes came back with two runs in the eighth inning and two more runs in the ninth inning to tie it up. Braun ripped an RBI single between third base and shortstop to score the tying run.
UM-closer George Huguet came into the game in the ninth inning and worked a career-high four innings. With two outs in the 12th inning, Huguet got the apparent inning ending ground ball, but Braun was unable to handle it at third base. Rutgers’ first baseman Steve Normane followed it up with a two-run home run to left field.
Braun came back with a lead off home run in the bottom half of the inning, his team-high sixth of the year, to pull the Hurricanes to within, 8-7. Burt followed Braun’s homer with a double, but that would be all UM would get as the Hurricanes absorbed their four loss of the season. Huguet took the loss (1-1) and Rutgers Sean Atchison picked up the win.
Miami will finish up its five-game week with a three-game series with Boston College on Friday, March 21, through Sunday, March 23, at Mark Light Field.
For more information on UM athletics, visit Miami’s official athletics web site at hurricanesports.com. For more ticket information, call 1-800-GO-CANES. Ticket prices for this week’s games are $9 for a chairback seat and $7 for general admission.
