Miami Outslugs N.C. State In Series Finale, 12-10
April 30, 2006
RALEIGH, N.C. (www.hurricanesports.com) – Miami overcame a 6-0 deficit in the third inning and a 10-9 deficit in the seventh inning to come away with a 12-10 win against No. 15 North Carolina State at Doak Field on Sunday afternoon. The No. 22 Hurricanes improved to 29-16 overall, 14-10 in the Atlantic Coast Conference Coastal Division and pushed their conference-best road record to 9-3.
The Hurricanes trailed 10-9 in the seventh, but loaded the bases against Wolfpack reliever Sam Walls. Walls threw consecutive wild pitches to score Yonder Alonso and Eddy Rodriguez to give Miami an 11-10 lead. Blake Tekotte followed with a singled to left to drive in an insurance run and 12-10 cushion.
Danny Gil threw 2.2 innings of scoreless relief, giving up one hit and striking out two to improve to 2-1 on the season. Chris Perez picked up his ninth save of the season with a scoreless ninth inning. Walls dropped to 5-2 with the loss.
Tekotte tied a career high with three RBI and Yonder Alonso went 2-for-4 with a career-high three runs scored and two RBI. Tommy Giles went 3-for-6 with two runs scored to lead Miami’s most offensively productive game since March 15.
N.C. State struck first on Jon Still’s home run to right-center to lead off the second inning. UM starter Ricky Orta issued a one-out walk to Brian Aragon and threw the ball away on a pickoff attempt to move Aragon into scoring position at second. Caleb Mangum singled up the middle to drive in Aragon for the 2-0 lead.
Orta gave up four consecutive hits and one run to start the third inning. Manny Miguelez relieved Orta with the bases loaded and gave up a two-run double to Aragon and a sac fly to Mangum before ending the inning with Miami trailing 6-0.
Miami closed the gap to 6-4 in the fourth with a pair of two-out, bases-loaded doubles from Alonso and Roger Tomas. Alonso hit a ground-rule double to drive in Giles and Jon Jay. Kyle Rutter spelled Surkamp and walked Rodriguez before giving up another two-run double to Tomas. Chris Engle was brought in to end the inning.
The Hurricanes used a five-run fifth to take their first lead of the game. Jemile Weeks brought Miami within a run, crushing the first pitch of the fifth inning out of the park to left field. Giles singled and Jay tied the game with an RBI double to center, ending Engle’s day in favor of Sam Walls. Walls issued a bases-loaded walk to Rodriguez, bringing home Danny Valencia for the go-ahead run. Tekotte gave Miami a 9-6 lead with a two-run bloop single to right that scored Alonso and Rodriguez.
N.C. State came back in the fifth. Miguelez issued a walk and gave up a single before he was replaced by Andrew Lane. Aragon loaded the bases with a bunt single and was followed by Ryan Pond’s pinch-hit single to left that scored Jon Still. Jon McLean relieved Lane and forced Marcus Jones to ground into a double play. Matt Mangini scored to bring the Wolfpack within 9-8.
The lead changed hands again in the bottom of the fifth. McLean walked Matt Camp and Ramon Corona to start the inning and gave up a one-out two-run double to Jon Still that put N.C. State up 10-9.
Miami returns to action on Friday, May 5 at 7 p.m. at Mark Light Field against Wright State in the last non-conference series of the season.
