No. 24 Miami to Play at FAU Wednesday Night
#24 Miami (3-4, 0-0 ACC) at FAU (6-1, 0-0 C-USA)
Roster | Coaches | Schedule | Game Notes
Feb. 28, 2018 | 6:30 p.m.
FAU Baseball Stadium | Boca Raton, Fla.
CORAL GABLES, Fla. –– No. 24 Miami will play its first road game of the season Wednesday night, as the Hurricanes make the short trip to FAU for a game at FAU Baseball Stadium. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m.
Last time out, Miami (3-4) handed No. 1 Florida its first loss of the season in a 2-0 victory. Sophomore righthander Evan McKendry twirled six shutout innings against the Gators and was named ACC Pitcher of the Week on Mon., Feb. 26 for his performance.
“We all played well. It was a great team win,” McKendry said Sunday after the victory. “Hopefully this gets us going.”
Senior Michael Burns led the offense in the victory, connecting on both RBI basehits. His double down the left field line in the fifth made it 1-0 in favor of the hosts, and a chopped RBI single through the right side of the Gators infield padded the lead and provided late insurance in the seventh.
Rather than assume the credit, Burns pointed to two younger players who helped contribute to Miami’s second run.
“Freddy [Zamora] and Willy [Escala] went back-to-back with good at bats,” Burns said. “I went down 0-2 and working back and finally got a pitch to put in play. They were running, and it worked out really well.
“Going up 2-0, not exactly a breath of fresh air, but I knew Andrew [Cabezas] was going to lock it down from there.”
Escala led Miami with a .429 average against Florida (3-for-7), including the first multi-hit performance of his career in the finale, after moving to the No. 9 spot in the lineup.
Burns said he knew McKendry and Cabezas, who tossed three scoreless innings to earn his second save of the season, were capable of shutting down a talented Florida lineup.
McKendry and Cabezas combined to allow just three hits on the day.
“I’ve faced them [in practice], so I know that they’re nasty,” Burns joked. “I know that they have good stuff. It was nice to see them out there doing their thing, keeping them off balance and taking the whole game over. It’s a nice feeling when your guys are on the mound doing it.”
The Hurricanes swept the 2017 season series against the Owls, including a 5-2 win at FAU Baseball Stadium on March 1. Senior LHP Michael Mediavilla gets the start opposite FAU RHP Nick Prather.
