Hurricanes and Seminoles Play to a 7-7 Tie
April 20, 2003
COARL GABLES, Fla. – Miami and second-ranked Florida State played to 7-7 tie in 10 innings Sunday afternoon in front of 1,891 fans at Mark Light Field.
The game was called due to Florida State’s 4:30 curfew to allow them to catch their flight back to Tallahassee. Miami now has a 28-9-1 record, while FSU’s record moves to 36-6-1. The tie was Miami’s first since March 19th, 2000, against Michigan.
The extra innings game was Miami’s seventh of the season, which ties them with the 1986 and 1993 clubs for the most in school history. UM is now 3-3-1 in extra innings games this season.
The Florida State series brought 14,322 fans to Mark Light Field over the weekend, the eighth largest series crowd ever.
Danny Figueroa collected his third four-hit game of the season, going 4-for-5 with a run scored. Gaby Sanchez went 2-for-4 with an RBI and three runs scored.
Blake Balkcom tied it up in the top of the ninth inning with a two-out double that scored Tony Richie, who had reached base on an error by Paco Figueroa at shortstop.
Miami got on the scoreboard first in the second inning on a RBI single off the bat of Gaby Sanchez. The single scored Brian Barton, who had reached on a fielder’s choice. The Hurricanes added another run as Greg Dini followed with a RBI single to score Sanchez.
FSU came back to tie the score at 2-2 in the top of the third inning on a two-run home run off the bat of Tony McQuade. It was McQuade’s second home run of the series, and sixth of the season.
The Hurricanes manufactured a run in the bottom half of the third inning after Danny Figueroa led off the inning with a double down the right-field line. Adam Ricks bunted Figueroa to third base before Jim Burt ripped a one-out RBI single up the middle to give the Canes a 3-2 lead.
A leadoff walk to Sanchez came around to score to give UM a 4-2 lead in the fourth inning. Matt Barket singled after Sanchez’s walk and Figueroa then drew another walk to load the bases. Sanchez scored on a RBI ground out by Adam Ricks.
Eddy Martinez-Esteve doubled with one out in the fifth inning, but pulled up awkwardly at second base and was replaced by Kevin Richmond. Richmond would come around to score on McQuade’s single to left field to pull the Seminoles to within one at 4-3.
FSU tied things up at 4-4 in the sixth innings, as Chris Hart came around to score on a Matt Sauls RBI single off Shawn Valdes-Fauli. Valdes-Fauli came into the game after UM starter Brandon Camardese gave up a single to Hart with two outs. Camardese went 5.2 innings, giving up seven hits and four runs.
Sanchez picked up his second hit of the day to lead off the sixth inning. Dini followed by chopping a base hit over the third baseman’s head. After Matt Barket flew out to left field, Danny Figueroa bunted for a base hit to load the bases.
Ricks then drew a walk to score Sanchez and Paco Figueroa hit a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Dini and giving UM a 6-4 lead.
Florida State tied the game at 6-6 in the seventh inning with a two-RBI double off the bat of Balkcom.
The Hurricanes and Seminoles will play three more next weekend in Tallahassee.
