Braun Home Run Sends Hurricanes Past Savannah State, 12-7
May 16, 2003
CORAL GABLES, Fla. (hurricanesports.com) – The Miami baseball team took the first game of a four-game weekend series with Savannah State, 12-7 in front of 1,743 fans on Friday night at Mark Light Field.
J.D. Cockroft (9-2) struggled through five innings, but picked up the victory allowing five runs (four earned) on nine hits. Tigers starter Carlos Markyna (6-2) took the loss going 2.2 innings, giving up six hits, seven runs (three earned), walking four batters, while striking out one.
Hurricane freshman Ryan Braun led Miami offensively going 2-for-5 at the plate, with two runs scored and three RBI, including his team-leading 14th home run of the season. Adam Ricks contributed with a solid performance going 2-for-4 with three runs scored and two RBI.
Miami finally got control of the game in the sixth inning with four runs, highlighted by a two-run home run from Braun. Jim Burt followed with a RBI triple as the Canes went on top 11-5.
The Hurricanes scored three runs in the first inning without getting a hit, as Savannah State committed three errors.
The Canes added three more runs in the second inning to extend the lead to 6-0. The Tigers committed two more errors, but UM collected five singles, including RBI singles from Danny Figueroa and Ryan Braun.
Savannah State got two runs back in the top of the third inning with a throwing error by Hurricane catcher Erick San Pedro and an RBI single off the bat of Clay Cleveland. The earned run snapped a streak of 22 consecutive scoreless innings for Cockroft.
Miami added a run in the third inning with an error on the Tigers’ right fielder Ashley Simms to extend the lead to 7-1.
The Tigers got two more runs in the fifth inning to close the UM lead to 7-5. George Pope hit a sacrifice fly to center field to plate one run and Cleveland drove in his second run of the day with a double down the right field line.
Jeffery Urgelles launched a solo home run of Chiqui Chirino with two outs in the eighth inning, narrowing UM’s lead to 11-6.
Miami tacked on an insurance run in the eight with an RBI single from Brian Barton.
The Hurricanes and Tigers will play a double header at Mark Light Field on Saturday beginning at 5 p.m. with the second game starting 40 minutes after the completion of game one.
