Hurricanes Complete Sweep of Hokies, 9-5
April 22, 2007
Blacksburg, Va. – Mark Sobolewski, Dennis Raben and Jemile Weeks combined for nine hits and Eric Erickson picked up his fifth win of the season as Miami completed the Atlantic Coast Conference series sweep of Virginia Tech, 9-5, Sunday afternoon at English Field. Miami improved to 25-17 on the season and 11-10 in the ACC.
Erickson returned after missing two weekend starts. He threw five innings, allowing five runs, three earned, on eight hits. Sobolewski extended his hitting streak to 13 games while going 4-for-4 with three runs scored. Raben went 3-for-5 with three runs scored and two RBI. He hit his 10th home run of the season, which was the fourth homer in the last six games. Weeks went 2-for-5 with one runs scored.
Erickson, David Gutierrez and Alex Koronis combined to toss seven scoreless innings after Virginia Tech plated five runs in the first two innings. UM pitchers struck out four and only walked one.
Sean O’Brien, Bryan Thomas and Sean Ryan each had two hits for the Hokies (17-23, 4-17 ACC). Andrew Wells took the loss for Virginia Tech as he allowed nine earned runs on 12 hits in six innings. Brett Fox pitched the final 2 1/3 scoreless innings.
The Hurricanes pushed across three runs in the top of the seventh taking a 9-5 lead. Weeks hit an infield single before Raben’s double off the right field wall. After Sobolewski was intentionally walked, Weeks scored when Gus Menendez reached on a fielder’s choice putting UM ahead, 7-5. With one out, Ryan Jackson was by a hit a pitch bringing in a run for an 8-5 lead. Blake Tekotte’s sacrifice fly scored Sobolewki.
Raben blasted a two-run home run in the top of the fifth with two outs putting Miami ahead, 6-5.
A two-out rally pulled the Hurricanes within a run, 5-4. Ryan Jackson dropped in a double with the bases loaded that scored Sobolewski and Gus Menendez in the top of the fourth.
Virginia Tech added a couple of runs in the bottom of the second. Sean O’Brien hit a run-scoring double to right center to make it, 4-2. O’Brien scored on Bryan Thomas’ RBI single to make it, 5-2.
Richard O’Brien’s two-run single brought the Hurricanes within, 3-2, in the top of the second. Raben hit a one-out single through the left side. Soboloewski followed with a single through the left side. After a ground out by Gus Menendez advanced the runners, O’Brien then found a hole through the left side.
The Hokies scored three runs in the bottom of the first. Back-to-back singles by Sean O’Brien and Nate Parks led off the bottom of the first. Thomas reached on a fielder’s sacrifice bunt and moved to second on a throwing error which allowed O’Brien to score to make it, 1-0. Warren Schaeffer’s base hit scored Parks giving Tech a 2-0 lead. Thomas scored on Luke Padgett’s ground out for a 3-0 Virginia Tech lead.
Miami begins a seven-game homestand Wednesday night by hosting Stetson at 7 p.m. at Mark Light Field.
