April 6, 2008

Box Score

CORAL GABLES, Fla. - Freshman catcher Yasmani Grandal collected a career-high four hits and four RBI  including the go-ahead home run in the sixth inning and No. 2 Miami tacked on eight runs in the eighth inning en route to a 15-5 win over Clemson (18-12, 6-8 ACC) Saturday night to clinch the Atlantic Coast Conference series at Mark Light Field in front of another capacity crowd of 3,000. Sophomore right-hander Kyle Bellamy (5-0) won for the second time in as many days as the Hurricanes (25-2, 11-1 ACC) extended their winning streak to 12 games.

Bellamy tossed 1 1/3 innings in relief of starter Enrique Garcia and recorded a strikeout. Carlos Gutierrez earned his seventh save after pitching the final two scoreless innings. Garcia struck out six in 4 2/3 innings and allowed five runs on nine hits. Blake Tekotte, Mark Sobolewski and Ryan Jackson each tallied two hits. Jemile Weeks and Dennis Raben each posted three RBI for Miami, which recorded 13 hits in the contest.

Clemson center fielder Wilson Boyd led the Tigers going 3-for-4. Catcher Doug Hogan had three RBI. Clemson starter Graham Stoneburner lasted 3 1/3 innings and allowed five runs on seven hits.

The Hurricanes broke open a 7-5 game in the bottom of the eighth. With the bases loaded, Raben doubled to left center to make it, 9-5. Sobolewski followed with a double of his own giving the Hurricanes an 11-5 lead. Adan Severino's sacrifice fly gave UM a 12-5 lead. With two outs and two more runners in scoring position, Grandal ripped a double down the left field line putting the Canes ahead, 14-5. Tekotte's RBI single scored Grandal for the 15-5 UM lead.

Grandal put Miami ahead for good and snapped a 5-5 tie in the bottom of the sixth with a solo home run to left giving the Canes a 6-5 lead. Tekotte followed with a double and back-to-back walks to Weeks and Yonder Alonso loaded the bases. Raben hit a sacrifice fly allowing Tekotte to score as Miami led, 7-5.

Weeks tied the game in the bottom of the fourth, when he hit a three-run home run to left field, evening things up, 5-5. Clemson had extended its lead to 5-2 in the top of the fourth on Ben Paulsen's RBI single.

Hogan's two-run homer highlighted a three-run third inning for the Tigers as Clemson reclaimed a 4-2 lead. Dave DiNatale tied the game, 1-1, in the bottom of the second when he tripled down right field line after Jackson led off the with single. Grandal's RBI single scored DiNatale giving the Canes a 2-1 lead.

The Tigers led 1-0 on Hogan's RBI groundout in the first inning.

The Hurricanes and Tigers wrap up their series Sunday at 1 p.m. at Mark Light Field. Sophomore RHP Michael Rudman (0-0, 7.20 ERA) will face Clemson LHP Ryan Hinson (2-3, 4.62 ERA). The game will be televised on CSS.

Game Notes

-The 15 runs scored by Miami were the most runs scored by the Hurricanes in the series against the Tigers and the 10-run win was the largest margin of victory for Miami in the series. UM defeated Clemson 14-5 during the 1996 season.

-Miami extended its winning streak to 12 games. The streak started with a 20-9 win over Cornell back on Mar. 18. It's the longest streak that Miami has had since the Hurricanes rattled off 16 straight wins during the 2006 season.

- Miami had a capacity crowd of 3,000 for the eighth time this season.

- Junior center fielder Blake Tekotte extended his hitting streak to 14 games while sophomore third baseman Mark Sobolewski upped his hitting streak to 10 games.

- Miami's 25-2 continues to be the best start ever under a Jim Morris coached team and the second best start in school history. The 1981UM team started off 39-3.

- Freshman catcher Yasmani Grandal hit his third home run of the season in the sixth inning.

- Junior second baseman Jemile Weeks homered for the seventh time this season in the fourth inning. Weeks now has 17 extra-base hits including seven doubles, three triples and seven home runs.