No. 16 Hurricanes Defeat Winthrop, 16-4
Feb. 3, 2006
CORAL GABLES, Fla. (www.hurricanesports.com) – Freshman first baseman Yonder Alonso led No. 16 Miami’s offensive onslaught with a home run and six RBI in a 16-4 Hurricanes’ win against Winthrop in front of 1,282 Friday afternoon at Mark Light Field. Miami moved to 3-0 on the season and Winthrop dropped to 0-1 after the season-opening loss.
Alonso, who entered Friday’s contest hitless in his first two collegiate games, put a 1-0 pitch from Winthrop starter Heath Rollins over the left field fence and finished the day 3-for-4 and a triple shy of the cycle. Fellow freshman, center fielder Blake Tekotte, went 2-for-3 with three runs scored and three stolen bases and catcher Eddy Rodriguez was 2-for-2 with a double and a home run (both in the fourth inning) and had two RBI.
UM starting pitcher Carlos Gutierrez provided the Hurricanes with his second solid start of the season, pitching five innings and giving up one run on six hits to move to 2-0 this season. He tied a career high with four strikeouts.
Rollins gave up eight hits and 12 runs, 10 earned, in three-plus innings with five strikeouts and four walks.
The Hurricanes started hot, scoring five runs in the first inning thanks to some aggressive base running and power at the plate. UM stole four bases in the inning, including two by Tekotte. Danny Valencia opened the scoring with a two-run single to left to score Tekotte and Jon Jay. Alonso followed a walk to Tommy Giles with a three-run blast for the 5-0 lead.
UM ended Rollins’ day with a nine-run fourth inning, five of which came with no outs. Rodriguez followed his leadoff double with the first run of the inning, advancing home when WU catcher Alan Robbins’ throw sailed into center field on Tekotte’s third successful steal of the day. That was followed by an RBI single from Jemile Weeks and a one-run double by Jay for an 8-0 lead. Jay eventually scored on an error and Alonso singled to make it 10-0 before Ben Hines was brought in to spell Rollins.
Miami freshman DH Dennis Raben scored Giles on a sac fly to center and Rodriguez homered in his second at-bat of the inning for the 14-0 lead.
Winthrop got on the board with a solo shot from Mike Konstanty to lead off the fifth against Gutierrez. It was the first run of the season given up by a Hurricane starting pitcher, breaking a string of 15 scoreless innings by starters to begin the season.
The Hurricanes added two more runs in the bottom of the fifth to go up 16-1.
Winthrop put three more runs on the board with Matt Repec’s two-run shot off UM reliever Andrew Lane in the eighth and Ben Ehrlich’s hit a solo homer off Dennis Raben in the ninth for the final 16-4 score.
The Eagles and Hurricanes meet again Saturday February 4, at 1 p.m. at Mark Light Field for the second game of the series.
Notes: Alonso became the second Hurricane this year to have his first career hit at UM a home run (Gus Menendez, Jan. 28) … Rodriguez became the first Hurricane to hit a double and a home run in the same inning since Brendan Katin did the same against Elon on March 6, 2004 … Miami has outscored its opponents 38-3 in three games this season … Joseph Paniagua recorded his first career hit in the eighth inning.
