No. 1 Seed Miami Set to Face Rival FSU at MCWS
June 16, 2008
Game 63
Monday: Miami vs. Florida State
June 16, 2 p.m. (ET)/1 p.m. (ET) (Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville)
Radio: WVUM (90.5 FM), WQAM (560 AM),
Spanish Radio WWWK (102.5 FM) and WPIK (104.5 FM)
TV: ESPN2
Probable Starting Pitchers:
FSU: Elih Villanueva, Jr., RHP (7-3, 3.79 ERA)
UM: David Gutierrez, So., RHP (5-0, 4.67 ERA)
HURRICANES LOOK TO BOUNCE BACK AGAINST RIVAL FLORIDA STATE IN MCWS
No.1 overall national seed Miami (52-10) will face No. 4 national seed and rival Florida State (54-13) Monday afternoon in the first elimination game of the 2008 Men’s College World Series. First pitch is slated for 2 p.m. (ET)/1 p.m. (CT). The game will be televised live on ESPN2. Karl Ravech has the play-by-play while Robin Ventura will serve as the color analyst and Kyle Petersen as the sideline reporter.
MCWS GAME 1 RECAP
Georgia scored four runs in the ninth inning – two on Miami closer Carlos Gutierrez’s throwing error – and the Bulldogs came from behind to beat the top-seeded Hurricanes 7-4 in the College World Series on Saturday night. Gutierrez came on to start the ninth to protect Miami’s one-run lead. Miami lost for the first time in 46 games in which it led after eight innings.
Georgia’s Bryce Massanari singled up the middle leading off the ninth. Pinch-runner Adam Fuller moved over on Matt Cerione’s sacrifice, and Robbie O’Bryan reached when he swung at Gutierrez’s wild pitch on strike three, putting runners at the corners.
Lyle Allen singled in the tying run before David Thoms grounded to Gutierrez (5-4), who threw far wide of first baseman Yonder Alonso. Two runs scored as the ball rolled into the Georgia bullpen. Thoms ended up on third and scored on Ryan Peisel’s single to left.
Joshua Fields (3-2) pitched 1 1-3 innings of shutout relief to get the win. Alonso, Jemile Weeks and Blake Tekotte homered, accounting for all of Miami’s runs. Alonso ended Georgia left-handed reliever Alex McRee’s night by launching a 1-1 pitch into the seats in left-center field with two outs in the seventh. The shot broke a 3-3 tie and was his third in three games, his 18th in his last 32 games and 24th of the season.
HURRICANES AND SEMINOLES MEET AGAIN
This will be the fourth meeting between Miami and Florida State this season. The Hurricanes won two of three games against the Seminoles during the regular season in Tallahassee. Miami used a 10-run sixth inning in game one on its way to an 11-4 win. FSU scored five runs in the final three innings to win 9-5 in game two. In the series finale, Miami jumped out to an 11-3 lead and held on to win 11-10 in a game shortened to seven innings due to a curfew to allow Miami to make its flight back down to Coral Gables. Junior first baseman Yonder Alonso had a good series against the Seminoles. He hit .556 (8-for-15) with 10 runs scored, nine RBI and homered twice while slugging 1.333 and posting a .714 on-base percentage . In the rubber game of the series, Alonso belted two home runs including his first career grand slam in the third inning.
UPDATING THE CANES AT THE MCWS
Miami is now 46-37 all-time at the Men’s College World Series. The Hurricanes are 6-12 all-time at the CWS when losing the first game.
THE MIAMI-FSU SERIES
Florida State leads the all-time series 132-117-4, but the Hurricanes have won four of the last five meetings including an earlier series win this season. Miami and FSU have met four times in the College World Series and the teams are an even 2-2.
ALONSO CLOSE TO SCHOOL HR RECORD
Miami first baseman Yonder Alonso needs just one home run to tie Phil Lane’s single season record (25) which he set in 1982. Alonso actually would already have the single season school record. Back on March 23, 2008, he homered twice in the first three inning of the second game of a doubleheader with Wake Forest. But due to inclement weather and a travel curfew, the game was called in the bottom of the fourth inning (five innings is considered a complete game). Alonso lost two home runs as did sophomore designated hitter Joey Terdoslavich. Junior centerfielder Blake Tekotte lost one home run as well with Miami leading 9-1 in the bottom of the fourth.
