No. 11 Miami Pummels Presbyterian, 12-1
CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Yohandy Morales is one of the best third basemen in the country.
With Morales sidelined due to illness Saturday evening, his understudy looked like a proven veteran.
Freshman Jason Torres smacked a grand slam and drove in a career-high five runs to lead No. 11 Miami to a 12-1 win over Presbyterian at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field.
“Yoyo is like a brother to me,” Torres said. “I look up to him. He’s one of the best players in the country. I’ve definitely learned a lot from him. I’m just trying to take advantage of my opportunities.”
After the Hurricanes (30-16) hammered four home runs Friday, Torres picked up where the “Miami Mashers” left off.
In the second inning, the 6-foot-1, 232-pound right-handed slugger stepped to the plate with the bases juiced.
Once Presbyterian (18-29) starter Charlie McDaniel (3-7) fell behind with a pair of sliders, Torres was expecting a heater.
The Hialeah native didn’t miss.
Torres deposited the fastball over the left-center field fence, igniting the first base dugout.
“He looks pretty comfortable,” Miami head coach Gino DiMare said. “He had a great, great night. It’s great to see him get an opportunity like this. He’s a big part of our team now and in the future.”
Following fellow freshman Blake Cyr’s sacrifice fly in the fifth, Torres tacked onto the Hurricanes’ tally in the sixth with an RBI double.
Junior first baseman CJ Kayfus joined the hit parade with a run-scoring single of his own to extend the Hurricanes’ advantage to 8-0.
The cushion was more than enough for Miami starter Alejandro Rosario (3-5).
Rosario scattered three hits across six shutout innings, matching his career high with 12 strikeouts. The junior right-hander punched out 11 of the first 15 batters he faced, including five of the first six.
“His fastball had a lot of life to it tonight,” DiMare said. “He got ahead early and got guys to chase a little bit…The one stat I like the most is no walks. He does strike people out, but I like the fact that he didn’t give anybody free passes. His demeanor on the mound was excellent.”
Relievers Carlos Lequerica, Chris Scinta and Rafe Schlesinger teamed up to put on the finishes touches on the Hurricanes’ 30th victory.
Miami will to secure its fourth sweep of the year when the Hurricanes and Blue Hose meet again Sunday. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. at Mark Light Field.
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