No. 4 Hurricanes Rout Wake Forest to Win Series, 23-2
March 23, 2008 <?xml:namespace prefix=”o” ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office”?>
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Freshman lefty Chris Hernandez one-hit Wake Forest (11-9, 4-4 ACC) through six innings and struck out eight and Miami scored nine runs in the third inning as the No. 4 Hurricanes won the Atlantic Coast Conference series with a 23-2 win over Wake Forest in the first game of a doubleheader Sunday morning at Mark Light Field. Jemile Weeks, Dennis Raben, Yasmani Grandal and Ryan Perry each hit home runs as the Hurricanes moved to 17-2 and 7-1 in the ACC.
Game three of the series was called due to lightning and rain in the area with <?xml:namespace prefix=”st1″ ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags”?>Miami leading 9-1 in the bottom of the fourth. The game will not be made up.
Hernandez matched his career-high with eight strikeouts. He led off the game by walking and hitting a batter, before retiring 11 consecutive batters and 18 of the next 20 batters he faced. Anthony Nalepa tossed two scoreless innings and Rene Guerra pitched the final inning.
The Hurricanes tied a school record in game two of the series. The 23-2 win was the fifth straight game that the Hurricanes scored 10 or more runs. The last time a Miami team scored at least 10 runs in five consecutive games was the 1998 team (Lost, 14-10 to Florida; defeated Lynn, 18-3, defeated, Notre Dame, 18-3, defeated Notre Dame, 27-2, defeated Notre Dame, 17-3.
Ryan Jackson and Dave DiNatale each finished with two hits for the Hurricanes. Jackson also added three RBI while Perry had four RBI on his first career home run – a grand slam in the seventh inning.
The Hurricanes scored nine runs with only two hits in the bottom of the third to go ahead, 15-2. WakeForest walked nine batters in the third and hit one batter.
Grandal’s two-run homer in the fifth gave the Hurricanes a 17-2 lead.
Perry’s grand slam capped off a six-run seventh inning to make it, 23-2.
Wake Forest’s Garrett Bullock lost just his first game. He was charged with allowing 10 runs, nine earned on five hits in 2 1/3 innings. He walked seven batters.
Game Three of Series Called with Miami ahead, 9-1, in fourth inning
The second game of the doubleheader and final game of the Miami-Wake Forest series was called due to rain and lightning in the area with Miami leading, 9-1, in the bottom of the fourth. The game will not be made up and Miami wins the series after winning the first two games.
Lightning halted the series finale for the second time at 3:35 p.m. Play was not able to resume before a 4:30 p.m. curfew, which was set to allow the Demon Deacons to make a return trip back to Winston-Salem, N.C. In order for an official game to be put in the books, five innings of play must be completed.
Miami looked to be headed for the series sweep behind two home runs a piece from Joey Terdoslavich and Yonder Alonso in the first three innings. Senior right-hander Enrique Garcia was on the line for his first win. He threw four solid innings allowing one earned run and recording three strikeouts.
Alonso’s two-run home run to left field put the Hurricanes ahead, 2-0, after a Jemile Weeks single in the first inning.
Terdoslavich led off the second with a solo home run to right field making it, 3-0. After Adan Severino singled to right and Jason Hagerty was hit by a pitch, Tekotte hit an opposite field three-run home run to left field giving the Hurricanes a 6-0 lead. Alonso then followed with his second homer of the game -easily clearing the batter’s eye in center field to make it, 7-0.
After a 31 minute lightning delay, Andy Goff sent the second pitch he saw over the fence in left field drawing WakeForest within, 7-1, in the top of the third, but Terdoslavich answered in the bottom of the third with his second home run of the day. After a Mark Sobolewski double, he homered down the right field line extending the Hurricane lead to, 9-1.
The game was then halted due to lightning in the area. A thunderstorm followed, not allowing the Hurricanes and Demon Deacons to make it to the fifth inning.
Miami now wraps up its seven-game homestand Tuesday and Wednesday with a two-game midweek series against Bethune Cookman. Tuesday’s game is scheduled for 7 p.m. while Wednesday’s game is slated for 6 p.m.
Series Notes
-Freshman lefty Chris Hernandez won his fourth game in game one of the doubleheader. He matched a career-high with eight strikeouts and one-hit the Demon Deacons through six innings.
-Miami finished with 10 home runs in the series despite hitting five in the first three innings of game three, which would have brought the total to 15. Juniors second baseman Jemile Weeks and right fielder Dennis Raben each hit two in the series. Junior first baseman Yonder Alonso and freshman designated hitter Joey Terdoslavich each homered twice in the first three innings of the series finale and junior center fielder Blake Tekotte hit a three-run home run, but all five do not count due to the game not being an official game.
– The Hurricanes tied a school record in game two of the series. The 23-2 win was the fifth straight game that Miami scored 10 or more runs. The last time a Miami team scored at least 10 runs in five consecutive games was the 1998 team (L, 14-10 to Florida; defeated Lynn, 18-3, defeated, Notre Dame, 18-3, defeated Notre Dame, 27-2, defeated Notre Dame, 17-3.
-The 40 runs scored was the second most in an Atlantic Coast Conference series by the Hurricanes. Miami scored 42 runs in a series win over North Carolina in 2005. UM won 17-7 and 18-9 before tying 7-7.
–Jemile Weeks and Blake Tekotte each collected four hits in the WakeForest series. Weeks drove in a team-high six runs which included two home runs.
-Miami hit .352 on 25 hits in the series. UM had three doubles and 10 home runs. The Hurricanes walked 24 times in the series.
-UM’s pitching staff posted a 2.50 team ERA in the series and WakeForest hit just .172 in the series. The Demon Deacons finished with 11 total team hits and struck out 20 times.
