
Scanlon Shines in Comeback Win over FIU
MIAMI, Fla. ā Jack Scanlon was hitlessĀ in his first 13 at-bats as a Hurricane.
Still, the fourth-year junior catcher, who transferred to Miami from Oregon, remained positive.
After picking up his first hit in the orange and green Sunday, Scanlon shined Wednesday night.
Scanlon smacked his first home run of the year, leading Miami to a 7-3 win over crosstown foe FIU at FIU Baseball Stadium.
āHeās been great ever since he stepped foot on campus,ā Miami head coach Gino DiMare said. āSuper kid. He wants to be coached, wants to be pushed and wants to be better. Heās waited his turn and hasnāt poutedā¦Heās been a great teammate.ā
When the Hurricanes (11-6) walked-off Penn State on Feb. 19, Scanlon instilled confidence in eventual-hero CJ Kayfus with a pep-talk in the dugout.
Against the Panthers (11-7), the upbeat-Scanlon supplied the spark on the diamond.
With FIU ahead 2-0 in the third, the 6-foot-4, 224-pound backstop smoked a first-pitch fastball over the right-center field, tying things up, 2-2.
āIāve been struggling, scuffling, but every day I come to the ballpark with the same mentality,ā Scanlon said. āGood things are starting to come, and I feel better up at the plateā¦I was just trying to put together a good at-bat for the team. Once I hit it, I was just hoping that the ball was going over the wall and wasnāt getting caught.ā
After FIU re-grabbed the lead in the bottom of the fourth, Scanlon singled and scored to level the game in the fifth.
Scanlon handled five different Miami pitchers, as the Hurricanes shut down the Panthers over the final five innings.
Southpaw Chris Scinta and right-handers Carlos Lequerica and Alejandro Torres combined to toss 4 1/3 scoreless, getting the visitors back up to the dish in a hurry.
Miami broke out for four runs in the ninth, highlighted by Edgardo Villegasā go-ahead double and Jacoby Longās two-run blast to cap off the evening.
Lequerica, who played last season for the Panthers, earned his first win as a Hurricane. Meanwhile, redshirt senior righty CJ McKennitt (2-1) was tagged with the loss after pitching the final frame.
āThose guys came in and threw strikes,ā Scanlon said. āEven if they got punched in the mouth, they competed. They did an excellent job and continued to fight. They didnāt back down.ā
Next, the Hurricanes, who have won three of their last four contests, welcome 17th-ranked Virginia Tech to Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field. The three-game set begins at 8 p.m. Friday.
āOverall, weāre playing okay, but not quite the way I want to see us play,ā DiMare said. āThe good thing is we won the game, but we have a lot to improve on. All facets. I want to see us clean things up and play a lot better. At the end of the day, when you can win when you arenāt playing your best baseball, thatās always a good thing. Now, we have to get ready for a big series this weekend.ā
To keep upĀ with the University of Miami baseball team on social media, follow @CanesBaseball onĀ Twitter,Ā InstagramĀ andĀ Facebook.