March 1, 2008

Box Score

CORAL GABLES, Fla. - Junior left fielder Dave DiNatale doubled in the go-ahead runs in the bottom of the seventh and the Hurricane bullpen tossed 6 1/3 shutout innings as the No. 8 ranked Miami Hurricanes rallied to defeat the Florida Gators, 8-5, Saturday night in front of another capacity crowd of 3,000 at Mark Light Field. The Hurricanes improved to 5-0 and clinched their first series over the Gators (5-2) since the 2004 season.

Miami's trio of Jason Santana, Kyle Bellamy and Carlos Gutierrez continued their dominance early in the season out of the UM bullpen. After starter Enrique Garcia allowed five runs in 3 2/3 innings, Santana came on in the bottom of the fourth and from there on out, Florida would only manage two hits the rest of the evening.

Santana (1-0) earned his first win of the season, striking out four and allowing just one hit over 3 1/3 innings. Bellamy pitched to two batters in the eighth, forcing a ground out and allowing a single, before giving way to Gutierrez who picked up the five-out save, striking out three and walking one in 1 2/3 innings. Blake Tekotte scored four runs for Miami. Jemile Weeks and Yonder Alonso each had two hits while Alonso and DiNatale each drove in a pair runs.

Cole Figueroa was the lone Gator with two hits, going 2-for-5 with three RBI.

Reliever Billy Bullock suffered the loss for Florida, allowing two runs in two innings of work. Starter Patrick Keating allowed four runs, only one of which was earned, in four innings of work.

Tekotte was the catalyst for the UM offense that out-hit its opponent for the fifth-straight game to open the season, scoring in the third, fifth, seventh and eighth innings.

Trailing 5-4, the Hurricanes scored three in the bottom of the seventh to take their first lead. After Tekotte scored on a Mark Sobolewski single tying the game, 5-5, DiNatale ripped a two-run double to right center with the bases loaded, scoring Weeks and Sobolewski to put the Hurricanes ahead, 7-5.

UM plated its eighth run in the bottom of the eighth when Tekotte came across on a J.K. LaCoste wild pitch.

Pisani's two-run single in the top of the second capped off a three-run inning as the Gators took the early lead, 3-0. Josh Adams led off the second with a single and stole second. Pisani laced a hit to right field putting

Miami pulled within 3-2 in the third inning. Jason Hagerty drew a walk on a full count. Tekotte then laid down a bunt single that was mishandled by the UF first baseman. The error allowed Hagerty to score, cutting the deficit to 3-1. Weeks would follow that up with a RBI single, scoring Tekotte to put UM within one.

UF would get those runs back in the top of the fifth, pushing its lead back to three but the trend would continue the following inning as the `Canes tallied two of their own in the bottom of the fifth. With the bases loaded, Alonso dropped a double inside the left field line to pull Miami within, 5-4.

The Hurricanes and Gators wrap up their series Sunday at 1 p.m. UM freshman LHP Chris Hernandez (1-0, 0.00 ERA) will face Florida freshman RHP Tommy Toledo (1-0, 3.60 ERA).

Game Notes

§       Miami had a sellout crowd of 3,000 for the fourth time this season.

§       Junior center fielder Blake Tekotte scored four runs for the Hurricanes. The last time Hurricane to score four runs in a game was Jon Jay against Ole Miss on June 12, 2006 in the NCAA Oxford Super Regional.