No. 20 Miami Cruises Past Barry 5-1

February 27, 2013

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Behind an effective outing from freshman Thomas Woodrey, the No. 20 Miami Hurricanes continued their season-opening winning streak, jumping on Barry University early and finishing off strong for a 5-1 win.

Woodrey (1-0), who scattered three hits and one run in his five innings of work, earned his first collegiate victory  and helped Miami improve to 9-0. Sophomore Alex Fernandez and senior Eric Nedeljkovic were superb in relief, combining for four innings of one-hit ball to clinch the 5-1 victory. Fernandez marked his first appearance of 2013 with a flawless three-inning performance.

Miami got the action started in the second inning, when senior Michael Broad led off the frame with a single to left field. After taking third base on a wild pitch and throwing error from the Barry catcher Luis Arrizurieta, sophomore catcher Garrett Kennedy knocked Broad in with an RBI single.

Another RBI single, this one from Alex Hernandez, plated freshman Grant Heyman to give Miami a 2-0 lead. With the single, Hernandez extended his hitting streak to nine consecutive games to open his Hurricanes career.

In a three-run fifth, Miami loaded the bases with no outs on back-to-back singles from freshman Brandon Lopez and junior Dale Carey alongside a walk to Hernandez. Freshman David Thompson recorded his team-leading 14th RBI on a single to third base, while a balk from Barry reliever Adrian Benitez and a sacrifice fly from Fieger (eight-game hitting streak) gave Miami a commanding 5-1 lead.

Woodrey’s only blemish was a bases-loaded walk in the third inning, which cut Miami’s lead to 2-1. The freshman southpaw, making his third collegiate start, saw his night end after five effective innings and 68 pitches.

Fernandez faced only nine batters in his three innings of work, striking out a career-high three batters. The Southwest Ranches, Fla., native drew praise from head coach Jim Morris after the game, needing only 26 pitches to get through the outing.

Nedeljkovic finished off the Buccaneers in the final inning. The senior reliever has yet to allow a run in 2013, a stretch spanning four appearances and 7.1 innings.
With 5-1 decision, Miami cruised to its ninth straight victory to open the 2013 campaign. The No. 20 Hurricanes next travel to Gainesville, Fla., for a weekend series with Florida at McKethan Stadium. First pitch Friday is set for 7 p.m.