No. 13 Miami Hits Five Homers In 7-5 Win Over Boston College
May 2, 2009
BROCKTON, Mass. – The 13th-ranked University of Miami baseball team smacked five homers – including back-to-back-to-back blasts in the fourth inning – en route to a 7-5 series-clinching win over Boston College Saturday night at Campanelli Stadium. The back-to-back-to-back homers in the fourth inning by Chris Herrmann, Yasmani Grandal and Harold Martinez marked the first time since nearly 12 years a UM team accomplished the rare feat.
The win for Miami (31-15, 15-11 ACC) secured the team’s sixth ACC series win of the year while Boston College falls to 28-19 overall and 11-13 in league play with the loss.
Down 4-0 after three, the Hurricanes tied it up in the fourth when UM’s offense came alive. After Jason Hagerty singled and stole second, Herrmann homered to right before Grandal homered to center and finally Martinez homered to left to quickly tie the game up. The three straight home runs by the `Canes marked the first time since Jason Michaels, Pat Burrell and Aubrey Huff accomplished the feat in an 11-4 win over Richmond on May 22, 1997.
The Hurricanes weren’t done with the long ball however. After BC re-took a one-run lead in the bottom of the fourth, the Hurricanes hit two more homers in the fifth to take the lead for good, 7-5. Hagerty blasted a deep two-run shot to right, scoring Scott Lawson, to put UM ahead by one before Herrmann hit his second homer in as many innings with an opposite field solo shot to left.
Herrmann finished the night 2-for-4 with the two homers, three RBI and two runs scored while Hagerty also went 2-for-4 with a homer, two RBI and two runs scored. Lawson also had a multi-hit game, going 2-for-5 with a run in the lead-off spot.
Michael Rudman (3-0) earned the win in relief of starter David Gutierrez, who lasted just two innings. Rudman, who was 0-1 in his career coming into the season, allowed one unearned run in 1 2/3 innings to earn his third win of 2009. After Rudman, Sam Robinson, Rene Guerra and Daniel Miranda held BC scoreless over the next three innings before closer Kyle Bellamy tossed the final 1 1/3 hitless innings to record his 14th save of the season.
BC starter John Leonard gave up all five of UM’s homers, exiting in the fifth after allowing seven runs on nine hits while walking one and striking out four in 4 2/3 innings. Chris Kowalski, Matt O’Brien and Matt Brazis combined to keep UM off the board over the final 4 1/3 innings.
Robbie Anston (2-for-5), Barry Butera (2-for-4) and Brad Zapenas (2-for-3) all finished with multiple hits for the Eagles.
For the second straight day, Boston College got on the board in the first, plating three runs to take the early 3-0 lead. After Anston led off the inning with a single, Andrew Lawrence doubled down the line in left, scoring Anston for the first run of the game. Tony Sanchez immediately followed with a double of his own off the wall in left, scoring Lawrence to put the Eagles up two before a Butera triple to right-center brought the third run across.
The Eagles added another run in the second when a pair of singles followed by a sacrifice fly by Lawrence scored Mike Sudol to put BC up, 4-0.
After UM took a 7-5 lead after five, the Eagles threatened in the bottom of the sixth, loading the bases off Robinson before Guerra came on to induce a fly out to right, ending the threat and keeping UM’s two-run lead intact.
The two teams will return to Shea Field in Chestnut Hill for Sunday’s 12 p.m. series finale. Iden Nazario (5-2, 6.00 ERA) will take the mound for the `Canes while BC will counter with Pat Dean (4-3, 3.82 ERA).
Game Notes
– The series win for Miami was its sixth this season against an ACC team and its 24th in its last 28 regular season ACC series.
– The back-to-back-to-back homers in the fourth inning marked the first time UM accomplished the feat since Jason Michaels, Pat Burrell and Aubrey Huff did so against in an 11-4 win over Richmond, May 22, 1997.
– The three-homer fourth inning marked just the 14th time in school history the Hurricanes hit three homers in an inning.
– The last time UM hit at least five homers in a game came on May 22, 2008 when UM hit six homers against Georgia Tech in a 15-12 win at the ACC Tournament in Jacksonville.
– Chris Herrmann’s two-homer game was the first of his UM career. It also marked the first time a Hurricane hit two homers in a game since Yasmani Grandal accomplished the feat at Virginia on March 22 earlier this season.
– Harold Martinez extended his team-best hitting streak to nine games with his fourth-inning homer.
– Kyle Bellamy earned his 10th multi-inning save and his 14th overall this season.
– Yasmani Grandal hit his team-leading 14th home run of the season in the fourth inning. After homering on Friday, Grandal has now homered in the first two games of a series for the second straight weekend after doing so last weekend against Virginia Tech.
– The win for Miami was its 23rd come-from-behind victory this season.
