Radziewski Leads Canes to Series-Opening Win

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The 15th-ranked Miami Hurricanes received another strong pitching performance from freshman Bryan Radziewski to take the series opener from Duke, 4-1, on Thursday night at Alex Rodriguez Park.

With the win, the Hurricanes improved to 33-19 overall (18-9 Atlantic Coast Conference), while the Blue Devils of Duke dropped to 25-29 (6-22 ACC).

Radziewski (9-2, 2.94 ERA) – coming off a win over No. 1 Virginia last Friday – won his third straight start, working seven effective innings to defeat Duke. The freshman lefty gave up one run, surrendering only four hits and one walk on the night.

However, Radziewski got off to a rocky start in the first inning, allowing the first three hitters to reach. Jeff Kremer led off the game with a double to left center for Duke. Dennis O’Grady and Chris Marconcini then reached via walk and hit by pitch, respectively, setting up the Blue Devils for a potential big inning. Will Piwnica-Worms then brought in Kremer with a fielder’s choice to third base to give Duke the 1-0 lead.

That was all Radziewski would allow, as the Canes offense immediately responded with three runs in the bottom of the first – all with two outs.

Zeke DeVoss drew a leadoff walk and promptly stole second for his ACC-leading 29th steal of the season. It looked like he would be stranded as the next two batters were retired, but Rony Rodriguez lined a double down the left field line to score DeVoss tying the score at 1-all.

Harold Martinez then followed with a single through the right side to score Rodriguez, and scored on another single by Brad Fieger after advancing to second on a wild pitch from Duke starter Robert Huber to give the Canes a lead they would not relinquish due to the pitching of Radziewski.

Radziewski has not suffered a loss since March 25 against No. 12 Georgia Tech.

Miami would tack on an insurance run in the bottom of the seventh inning.

DeVoss doubled down the right field and moved to third on a wild pitch setting up a sacrifice fly from Stephen Perez.

DeVoss led the Canes offensively, reaching base all four times with a double, single and two walks.

The Canes received strong relief pitching after Radziewski exited, with Sam Robinson and Daniel Miranda combining for two scoreless, hitless innings to close out the game.

Robert Huber (4-1, 4.37 ERA) took the loss for Duke.

Miami will send sophomore right-hander Eric Whaley (7-4, 2.76 ERA) to the mound on Friday, with Duke countering with senior right-hander Dennis O’Grady (5-3, 4.00 ERA). Coach Morris and the program will honor seniors Chris Pelaez and Michael Rudman prior to the game. Game time is set for 7 p.m.

Live stats for the entire series will be provided through Game Tracker at HurricaneSports.com. Fans can also join the live chat, provided by Cover It Live, by visiting HurricaneSports.com as well.

After facing Duke, Miami will prepare for the ACC Tournament in Durham, N.C., taking place at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. The dates of the tournament are set for May 25-29. For more information, please visit TheACC.com.

For more information on the University of Miami baseball team, please log on to HurricaneSports.com. To follow the UM Baseball Team via twitter, please navigate to Twitter.com/CanesBaseball. You can also access the official UMiami Baseball blog at TheUBaseball.com.

Fans can keep up-to-date with all UM Athletics via twitter at Twitter.com/HurricaneSports.  You can also become a fan of the Canes on Facebook at Facebook.com/MiamiHurricanes.

University of Miami Postgame Notes:

With the win, the Hurricanes are now:

• 33-19 overall
• 22-10 at Alex Rodriguez Park
• 5-4 in May
• 18-9 in the ACC
• 12-7 versus left-handed pitchers
• 2-0 on Thursdays
• 14-4 when wearing green “M” hats

Faces in the Crowd
University of Miami newly appointed Director of Athletics Shawn Eichorst threw out the game’s ceremonial first pitch. University of Miami president Donna Shalala also made an appearance.

Bouncing Back
The win marks the 10th time this season the Hurricanes have bounced back from a loss with a win. With the win, Miami snaps a three-game losing streak dating back to May 14 at the University of Virginia.

B-Rad’s Rad
Starting pitcher Bryan Radziewski has only given up two earned runs and two walks in his last two starts – both wins against ACC opponents.

Doublin’ Up
Zeke DeVoss and Rony Rodriguez each had doubles on the evening. Rodriguez now leads the Canes with 13 doubles on the year, while DeVoss’ two-bagger ties him with Nathan Melendres and Brad Fieger for second on the team with 12.

Flash ‘n’ Dash
DeVoss’ stolen base in the first inning gave him an ACC-leading 29 stolen bases on the season.

Fieger’s Feelin’ It
Brad Fieger’s first inning single only further increased his team-leading 56 hits on the season.

It’s all on the Line
The Canes were neck and neck with the North Carolina Tar Heels for the fourth seed in the ACC Tournament coming into tonight. With the win, the Canes bettered their chances of a fourth, or possibly even third, seed.