DiNatale's Walk-Off Homer Gives No. 1 Miami 4-2 Win
April 9, 2008
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CORAL GABLES, <?xml:namespace prefix=”st1″ ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags”?>Fla. – For the second time in the last four games, a walk-off home run propelled No. 1 Miami to a win. Junior left fielder Dave DiNatale sent the first pitch he saw in the bottom of the 11th over the fence in left field as top-ranked Miami walked off with a 4-2 win over FloridaGulfCoast Tuesday night at Mark Light Field. DiNatale finished 2-for-4 and drove in all four runs for the Hurricanes (27-2) who extended their winning streak to 14 games.
Carlos Gutierrez (1-1) picked up his first win of the season, holding the Eagles hitless over the final two innings. David Gutierrez, making his third start of the season, had an effective outing, allowing just two runs on five hits while striking out five in five innings of action before giving way to the Hurricane bullpen. P.J. Fisher had his best outing of the season in relief, allowing no runs on two hits in 2 1/3 innings before Bellamy tossed a scoreless 1 1/3 leading up to Carlos Gutierrez’s entrance in the 10th.
J.J. Crumbley suffered his first loss of the season, allowing the two runs on DiNatale’s blast in the 11th. Casey Coleman started for FloridaGulfCoast and held UM scoreless through two before handing it over to the bullpen. Coleman allowed one hit, walked two and struck out two in his team-high eighth start of the season. Richie Erath, Trent Landa, Craig Crumbly, Chris Sale combined to six innings between Coleman and Crumbley.
After Carlos Gutierrez pitched a 1-2-3 top of the 11th, Mark Sobolewski battled on 10-pitch at-bat, before he delivered a single into left field. After Ryan Jackson’s sacrifice bunt moved Sobolewski over, DiNatale blasted his fifth home run of the season and third game-winning home run in the last six games for the Hurricanes snapping the 2-2 tie.
The Eagles got on the board in the top half of the first when a Stephen Rassel sacrifice fly to left brought home leadoff man Josh Upchurch to put FGCU, 1-0.
Miami tied it up, 1-1, with a sacrifice fly RBI of its own when DiNatale’s deep flyout to right brought home Dennis Raben, who had doubled to lead off the inning.
FGCU regained the lead the following half inning when Stephen Wickens hit a solo homer to left, putting the Eagles up, 2-1.
UM evened it back up again in the sixth when a DiNatale line drive single to center scored Yonder Alonso from second to even it up, 2-2.
The Hurricanes will now play host to Florida Atlantic Wednesday at 7 p.m. before heading to Atlanta for a weekend series with Georgia Tech, April 11-13. Sophomore right-hander John Housey (3-0, 5.64 ERA) will face FAU RHP Michael Obradovich (1-2, 10.95 ERA).
Game Notes
-Junior outfielder Dave DiNatale’s 11th-inning home run was Miami’s second walk off home run in the last four games after Yonder Alonso hit a walk-off two-run blast in the ninth inning to give the Hurricanes a 6-4 win over Clemson this past Friday. It was also DiNatale’s third game-winning home run and fourth home run in the last six games.
-Junior Blake Tekotte extended his current hitting streak to 16 straight games, finishing the night 1-for-5.
– Miami stretched its best start under head coach Jim Morris to 27-2.
– After throwing 1 2/3 scoreless innings against FGCU Tuesday night, sophomore righthander Kyle Bellamy has now tossed at least one inning in five straight games and eight of UM’s last 10 games. Over that span Bellamy has allowed just one run on four hits while striking out 13 in 12 innings of work.
-Carlos Gutierrez’s win was his first of the season and the first for him since holding WrightState scoreless in five innings of work in UM’s 14-1 win over the Raiders, May 6, 2006.
-Miami improved to 2-0 this season in extra-inning contests.
– The game was delayed 47 minutes due inclement weather in the area.
