Raben's Double Lifts No. 2 UM to 7-5 Win in 10 Innings
March 28, 2008
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DURHAM, N.C. – Junior right fielder Dennis Raben broke a 5-5 tie in the top of the 10th with a two-run double to right and junior right-hander Carlos Gutierrez saved his sixth game as No. 2 Miami defeated the Duke Blue Devils, 7-5, at Jack Coombs Field Friday night in game one of the Atlantic Coast Conference series. Kyle Bellamy won his second game of the week for <?xml:namespace prefix=”st1″ ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags”?>Miami (20-2, 8-1 ACC), who extended its winning streak to seven games.
Bellamy (3-0) tossed two scoreless innings in relief of starter Chris Hernandez. He had a key strikeout with the game-winning run on second in the bottom of the ninth with one out, before inducing a pop up in foul territory to send the game into extra innings. Hernandez pitched seven innings, allowing five runs – all in the fifth inning, but struck out six and walked three. Gutierrez pitched a scoreless 10th inning.
Raben finished 2-for-5 with two two-run doubles in the game leading to four RBI. Mark Sobolewski led Miami going 3-for-5 with one RBI while Blake Tekotte ended 2-for-4 and added his 12th stolen base.
Duke reliever Michael Ness (2-1) lost for just the first time this season as he allowed two runs on three hits in three innings. He struck out four of the 14 batters he faced. Blue Devil starter Andrew Wolcott also lasted seven innings and gave up five runs on seven hits. Catcher Matt Williams went 2-for-5 and shortstop Gabriel Saade drove in a pair of runs.
With the score tied, 5-5, in the 10th, Jemile Weeks led off the inning with a single to right-center before Yonder Alonso drew his third walk of the night. Raben then hit Ness’ 1-0 offering to right-center for the game-winner. Duke tried to answer in the bottom of the 10th with two outs. Jonathan Nicolla and Ryan McCurdy hit back-to-back singles and Duke had runners on the corners, but Mark Sobolewski made a snag down the left field line and threw out Jake Lemmerman ending the game.
Tekotte led off the game with a single to left and after Weeks was hit by a pitch, Alonso picked up an infield single to second. Raben smacked the first pitch he saw down line in right for a double, scoring Tekotte and Weeks giving UM a 2-0 lead. Back-to-back groundouts to second by Sobolewski and Joey Terdoslavich brought home Alonso and Raben, putting UM up 4-0 after one inning.
Miami added its fifth run of the game when a Terdoslavich single to center brought home Raben from second in the top of the third.
Duke’s first threat came in the third inning with two outs. Hernandez walked a pair of Blue Devils to give Duke its first baserunners of the night. Hernandez was able to get out of trouble, forcing a groundout to short to keep the UM lead at five.
The Blue Devils tied it up, 5-5, in the fifth with five runs on four hits in the inning. Duke’s first hit of the contest came off the bat of John Bunder, scoring Ryan McCurdy. Williams followed that up with a single of his own to right, loading the bases with one out. A soft grounder to third by Jeremy Gould scored Tim Sherlock for Duke’s second run before Saade’s two-run single to right brought two more runs in to pull the Blue Devils to within, 5-4. The next batter, Kyle Kreick, then tied the game with a single to center, scoring Saade from second.
Tekotte walked and stole second with two outs in the seventh but a Weeks’ grounder to second ended UM’s first real opportunity to retake the lead.
Duke put runners on first and second with one out in the bottom of the ninth but Bellamy was able to strike out Williams and force Gould to foul out to Alonso to force extra innings.
The Hurricanes and Blue Devils will play the second game of their weekend series Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. RHP Enrique Garcia (0-0) will take the mound for Miami while RHP Will Currier (2-3) is slated to start for Duke.
Game Notes
-The game marked UM’s first extra-innings contest of the season.
-With the win, the Hurricanes improved to 6-0 on Fridays.
-Sophomore third baseman Mark Sobolewski (3-for-4) recorded at least three hits for the fourth time this season.
-Eight of the first 10 outs recorded by UM starter Chris Hernandez were ground ball outs.
