Camardese Pitches Hurricanes Past St. Bonaventure, 6-3
June 4, 2004
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Top-ranked Miami rode 8.2 innings from starting pitcher Brandon Camardese to a 6-3 win over fourth-seeded St. Bonaventure in front of 3,107 at Mark Light Field in the first round of the 2004 Coral Gables Regional.
Camardese’s 8.2 innings was a career high for the left-hander from Cooper City. He struck out a season high seven Bonnies and also tied a career high with five walks to improve to 6-2 on the year.
“I was able to get ahead of them (St. Bonaventure) with the fastball – I spotted it well,” Camardese said. “My change up was good and my cutter was working, too.”
The Hurricanes improve to 45-11 on the season and have now won eight straight games. Miami will play No. 2-seed North Carolina State at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, June 5. St. Bonaventure falls to 29-21 on the year and play Florida Atlantic at noon Saturday.
“I am very pleased with the win,” Head Coach Jim Morris said. “Brandon Camardese pitched an outstanding game, it was exactly what we needed in the first game of a regional. He went deep into the game and saved out bullpen and kept our pitchers fresh.”
Jim Burt went 2 for 4 with two RBI and ripped his ninth game-winning hit of the season with a RBI single in the first inning. Miami added its second run on a wild pitch from the Bonnies’ Soren Johnson. Johnson fell to 3-4 on the season after throwing four innings and allowing five runs on seven hits.
UM added two more runs in the third inning with a RBI single from Burt and a RBI ground out from San Pedro. Adam Ricks plated UM’s fourth run with a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning.
San Pedro hit his 11th home run of the season to add an insurance run in the eighth inning.
The Bonnies finally chased off Camardese in the ninth inning with a Damian Blakeley RBI double and a Kieran Malone’s RBI single. Alex Blanco came on to get the final out and record his first career save.
Miami vs. St. Bonaventure – Game 1 2004 Coral Gables Regional- Miami improves to 97-32 (.751) in NCAA Regional play. The Hurricanes are 148-68 (.685) in all postseason play.
– The Hurricanes are now 68-11 (.861) in regional games at Mark Light Field.
– UM is now 19-1 in home regional openers and have now won 18 in a row, dating back to 1979. Miami’s last loss in a home regional opener came in the 1978 Atlantic Regional, a 8-5 loss to Clemson.
– Miami has now won eight regional openers since losing to Sam Houston State, 5-4, at the 1996 Central I regional at Disch-Falk Field in Austin, Texas.
– Head Coach Jim Morris is now 63-21 in postseason play since joining the Hurricanes in 1994. He is 30-4 at Mark Light Field (regionals), 6-0 (super regionals), 7-2 (road regionals) 2-4 (road super regionals) and 18-11 at the CWS.
– Ron Fraser was 38-7 at Mark Light Field (Fraser was 86-45 in postseason play). Morris will tie the overall postseason wins at ‘The Light’ with his third win this year, currently 36-4).
– Jim Burt’s two RBI improve his season total to 62, adding to his career high.
– Brandon Camardese improved to 6-2 with a commanding performance. The left-hander scattered four hits and allowed only one run over 8.2 innings in the Hurricanes’ win. He walked five (tying a career high) and his seven strikeouts mark a season high.
– Erick San Pedro’s eighth inning home run was his 11th of the season. San Pedro drove in two runs on the night for his 47th and 48th RBI of the season.
– Alex Blanco came on to get the final out and earn his first career save. The right-hander induced a ground ball to first base to end the game.
