|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Miami extends its unbeaten streak to eight as the Canes dominate their West Coast rival 12-4 behind a perfect at-bat from Jake Ogden, who went 4-4 at the plate with a double, a bases-loaded single, and a bunt single. Also streaking was Alex Sosa, who hit in his 10th consecutive game and reached base for the 18th straight game. Fabio Peralta also continued his on-base streak, now at 17. A streak that was broken tonight, ending Javier Gorostola longest hitting streak in college baseball, was due to freshman Lonza Drummond in his second appearance, when Gorostola struck him out. The streak had lasted 45 games.
Miami quickly got on the board, taking an early lead with two walks and a 6-3 groundout by Derek Williams, who scored Jake from third. Jake reached third after his walk, advanced to second on a failed pick-off attempt at first, and moved to third on a wild pitch.
Miami remains in contention for a mid-week starting pitcher, choosing TJ Coats, who pitched four innings but faced some struggles. Florida Gulf answered in the second inning, tying the game at one with consecutive singles to open the inning. After a double play, which temporarily halted a run, a wild pitch evened the score.
TJ kept battling in the third inning, walking two batters and allowing a single in between, which loaded the bases. A groundout to second ended the inning with three runners on base. While TJ struggled on the mound, the offense was firing on all cylinders. Jake led off Miami’s half of the third with a double. Then, Alex was hit by a pitch, setting the stage for Derek Williams, who launched a deep left-field homer for his 11th of the season, giving Miami a 4-1 lead.
The Eagles soared in the 4th inning with an opening single, concluding with a two-run homer to deep left field that brought them within a run of the Canes. However, that was as close as they would get after Miami changed pitchers in the 5th, bringing in Jake Dorn, who shut down the Eagles’ hitting streak. Miami responded with two runs in the bottom half of the inning, with Sheahan and Peralta both getting hit, and Dubovik singling to load the bases. Ogden singled for the first run, and Cuvet drew a walk for the second. With one out and the bases still loaded, Williams, who had homered in the previous inning, hit into a 4-6-3 double play.
Miami significantly increased its lead in the 6th inning with a series of six hits and five runs. Fabio started with a single, followed by Jake’s well-placed bunt single. After Daniel’s deep flyout to center, which advanced both runners, Alex, with his 13th double of the season, drove in Fabio and Jake. Two batters later, Brylan homered deep to left field for two additional runs. Despite four hits and no pitcher changes, Alvarez and Sheahan responded by hitting a double and an RBI single, respectively, bringing in the inning’s sixth hit and fifth run, and extending the lead to 11-3.
The Eagles finally made a pitching change in the seventh inning, but Miami continued its strong offense by scoring another run, its signature with two outs. Jake began the inning with his fourth hit of the night, and Daniel doubled to right field, driving in Jake and giving Miami its 12th run of the game.
With the game well in hand, Miami substituted Jake Dorn for Lonzo Drummond, marking his second appearance of the season. Jake pitched three solid innings, allowing only one hit and no runs, while striking out four batters. Tonight’s relief performance suggests that JD may have finally found his mid-week starter. Just as Jake earned the chance to start next Tuesday, Lonzo made a strong impression by striking out two of the three batters faced, including ending the college’s longest hitting streak. Lonzo will be a valuable addition to the rotation.
With Lonzo moving into the relief rotation, Tate DeRias finally seems to exit after another subpar performance. A decline in form, trouble locating the strike zone, a walk, and a fielding error on a throw to second by Copeland—who was filling in for West at first—enabled runners on first and second. A double hit off the center field wall scored the runner from second. Miami gained an advantage when the runner originally on first advanced to third due to the error. The batter who hit the double tried to stretch it into a triple but realized halfway that the third base runner was still there, and he retreated to second. The sequence resulted in an unusual out sequence: 8-2-4-6. The Eagles managed to score one run but were ultimately held at bay with a final flyout to short right.
It was a strong night offensively with 14 hits and 12 runs. Every player in the starting lineup had at least one hit. Two players with multiple hits: Alonzo Alvarez, 2-4, and the player of the game, Jake Ogden, 4-4. Doubles: Jake Ogden, Daniel Cuvet, Alex Sosa, Alonzo Alvarez. HR: Derek Williams (11), Brylan West (3).
Pitching Jake Dorn’s performance should make him the mid-week starter next week. TJ Coats just was not able to produce tonight and should return for short-relief work, unlike Tate DeRias, who has been given every opportunity but has not responded to the challenge. Lonzo Drummond is a new face in the rotation, and hopefully, we will see more of him in the future.
Three-game weekend series against Virginia Tech starting on Friday at 7 PM. Friday’s starter is uncertain, as Ciscar is still out and may see limited duty. I assume Rob Evans will continue to start on Saturday, and after last week’s performance, Lazaro Collera should get the chance to start on Sunday.
