Miami Roughs Up Long Beach State's Weaver, 8-5
May 27, 2004
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CORAL GABLES, Fla. — The third-ranked Miami Hurricanes blew the doors off Jered Weaver and 11th-ranked Long Beach State, 8-5, Thursday night in front of 2,536 fans at Mark Light Field.
The Hurricanes hit Weaver, who came into the game with a 1.25 ERA, for seven runs (all earned) on eight hits. He struck out 11 but walked a season-high four as his ERA soared to 1.68. The loss was his first of the season to drop him to 14-1. Weaver is expected to be the first pick in the MLB Amateur Draft in June.
J.D. Cockroft was masterful in his last regular-season start at Mark Light Field. The senior from Foster City, Calif., pitched seven strong innings before getting into trouble in the eighth inning. He finished with 7.1 innings and allowed four runs on eight hits while walking just one and striking out three. Cockroft improved to 8-4 on the season and has won six of his last seven starts.
Head coach Jim Morris’ Hurricanes improve to 42-11 on the year and have won five straight while Long Beach State falls to 36-17 and have lost five straight.
Solo home runs from Adam Ricks and Jim Burt in the sixth inning gave the Hurricanes the lead for good at 2-1. Ricks’ ninth home run of the season ricocheted off the second level of the parking garage in right field. Burt blasted his team-high 12th of the season out to left field. Ricks finished the night 2 for 4 with an RBI
Miami finished off Weaver in the seventh inning with five runs on five hits. Gaby Sanchez doubled home in the inning and Ryan Braun blasted a three-run home run off Dirtbags’ reliever Ross Stout. Jon Jay added a RBI single in the inning as well.
It was Braun’s eighth home run of the season – UM’s fourth of the night – and his first since returning to the UM lineup last week after missing 18 games with a strained rib cage.
Erick San Pedro put the first dent into Weaver’s armor hitting a 1-0 fastball over the scoreboard in left field. The solo home run was his 10th of the season, and his 46th RBI.
Long Beach State struck back with a solo home run off the bat of Troy Tulowitzki in the sixth inning. The home run was Tulowitzki’s third of the season, clearing the right-center field fence.
Ricky Orta came on for Cockroft in the eighth inning with the bases loaded and walked home a run and then gave up a bases-clearing double to pull the 49ers within three runs at 8-5.
Danny Gil came on in the ninth for his fourth save of the season.
The Hurricanes and Dirtbags will play game two of their three-game series at 7 p.m. Friday, May 28, at Mark Light Field.
