Miami Hurricanes baseball launches another scoring spree to notch first ACC series
The Miami Hurricanes poured on the runs Sunday at Mark Light Field — and Friday and Saturday, for that matter.
After rallying from behind and still getting edged in their Friday-night Atlantic Coast Conference opener against Boston College, the Canes scored at least 11 runs Sunday for the fourth game in a row to defeat the Eagles 12-2 and take the series.
Miami (11-4, 2-1 ACC), with 10 hits, was led by CJ Kayfus, Edgardo Villegas and Dominic Pitelli, each of whom contributed 3 RBI. Pitelli was 2 for 3 with a double and walk and is now hitting .309.
In the first game of the weekend series, UM scored five runs in the ninth against BC (6-8, 1-2) to nonetheless lose 12-11, but came back Saturday for an 11-3 victory. The Canes have scored 46 runs in their past four games.
“Just happy to see our guys come back from a tough one there on Friday,’’ UM coach Gino DiMare said. “I thought the end of the game against BC on Friday, it kind of set the tone for the rest of the weekend. I know this: We played really, really well after we had that fight coming back late in the game. It carried over in Game Two and it carried over today.”
Winning pitcher Alex McFarlane (2-0, 4.24 ERA), allowed two earned runs on five hits, two walks, a wild pitch and a solo home run. Right-handed freshman Gage Ziehl relieved McFarlane in the sixth and gave up no hits in two innings. Usual closer Andrew Walters pitched the eighth inning and JP Gates pitched the ninth.
DiMare said McFarlane replaced scheduled starter Jake Garland because Garland “tweaked his back in the weight room earlier in the week.’’ And though DiMare said Garland “was available to throw,” the coach said he didn’t want to take any chances.
Despite a shaky outing in which he walked four Hurricanes, Boston College’s right-handed junior starter Max Gieg allowed no Miami hits or runs in his three innings. That ended when right-handed reliever Eric Schroeder faced the Canes to begin the fourth — immediately after the Eagles scored a run on a walk and back-to-back singles against third-year sophomore McFarlane.
Trailing 1-0 with no hits, UM finally broke loose in the decisive fourth.
Singles by Jacob Burke and Mike Rosario and a walk by Gonzalez loaded the bases, and No. 9 hitter Pitelli doubled up the middle to score Burke and Rosario and make it 2-1 Canes. Leadoff hitter Kayfus’ groundout to first brought home Renzo Gonzalez for a 3-1 Miami lead.
“Dom Pitelli, to me, is the player of the game today and he was the player of the team this weekend,’’ DiMare said of the 5-11, 175-pound shortstop out of Doral Academy. “He played really well offensively and defensively.”
Pitelli went 5 for 11 in the weekend series, with two home runs, two doubles and 8 RBI.
“I like leaving him where he’s at,’’ DiMare added of Pitelli’s ninth spot in the batting order. “Don’t mess up a good thing. He’s doing great. I get it, he’s the last guy in the lineup. He seems to be coming up in a lot of crucial situations and he’s doing a heck of a job. For right now, I’m very comfortable leaving him there.”
Said Pitelli of batting last: “I’m comfortable with it, because I know if I get on I’ve got the top of the lineup behind me and they can all hit.’’
Cameron Leary’s solo shot to right field in the fifth made it 3-2, but UM scored four more runs in the sixth to make it 7-2 on a bases-loaded single by Pitelli, sacrifice fly by Kayfus and 2-RBI double by Villegas.
Four more UM runs in the seventh iced the eventual victory.
“It meant a lot because we came back as a team,’’ Villegas said. “Even if we’re down, we know we have a team that can battle back. We have great talent on this team.”
The Hurricanes next travel to Orlando to meet UCF at 6 p.m. Wednesday, the first of five consecutive road games. UCF is coached by former Hurricanes catcher Greg Lovelady, who won national titles at UM in 1999 and 2001.
After UCF, the Hurricanes head to Clemson, South Carolina, for a three-game weekend series before meeting FAU in Boca Raton at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 23. The Canes defeated the Owls 9-1 Feb. 23 at Mark Light Field.
This story was originally published March 13, 2022 at 4:25 PM.
