Canes Win Alumni Game Exhibition 9-2
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami baseball program welcomed back more than 60 alumni for its annual Alumni Game exhibition Saturday at Mark Light Field, signaling the beginning of Hurricanes baseball season.
Thanks to five solid innings from junior lefthander Michael Mediavilla, Miami topped the Alumni 9-2 on a perfect February evening for baseball.
An All-American last season, Mediavilla allowed four hits and one earned run with four strikeouts and four walks.
“He got out of his jams and we played good defense,” head coach Jim Morris said. “Tonight, the biggest thing to me was we played really good defense behind the guys…we know Mike can pitch. He’s got good stuff, he’s healthy, and he’s a proven winner.”
The Hurricanes plated three runs in the third, including a two-run home run from redshirt senior Edgar Michelangeli, and added three more in the fourth to take a commanding early lead.
Michelangeli finished with a game-high three hits and four RBI.
“We need some veterans to step up, and [Edgar] is one of them,” Morris said. “He improved a lot last year. If he can improve like that again, it’s really going to help us as a team.”
Leading 6-1 in the eighth, senior Barry Buchowski ripped a two-run triple and Michelangeli connected on a sacrifice fly to push the lead to 9-1.
All Hurricanes alumni were introduced in pregame ceremonies, including Larry Adams, who was celebrating his 90th birthday Saturday.
The Alumni lineup was comprised of several professional baseball players, including Ricky Eusebio (Seattle), Dale Carey (Washington), Willie Abreu (Colorado), David Thompson (New York Mets), Chantz Mack (Seattle), Jacob Heyward (San Francisco), Brandon Lopez (Minnesota) and Garrett Kennedy (Los Angeles Dodgers).
Eusebio’s solo home run in the fifth inning was the only run allowed by Mediavilla. Mack hit a solo shot off redshirt sophomore Keven Pimentel in the ninth.
Lefthander Danny Garcia, who plays in the Mariners organization, started the game for the Alumni and threw one scoreless inning.
The Hurricanes open the 2017 season on Fri., Feb. 17 against Rutgers. First pitch for the contest, slated for broadcast on ACC Network Extra and WVUM 90.5 FM, is set for 7 p.m.
