For Miami head coach Jim Morris, the game against Army means more than baseball.
“I respect what they’re doing,” he said. “They played hard and are well-coached and it’s an honor to go out there and play against them.”
But when the lights came on at The Light on Tuesday, the Hurricanes came full force. With three home runs, two from third baseman David Thompson and one from infielder George Iskenderian, Miami easily beat the Black Knights 9-1.
Thompson’s two homers, one of which was a grand slam, ties his career-high six home runs he set his freshman season.
Iskenderian’s hit came in the fourth inning and gave Miami (16-6) its last runs.
Army (9-5) put the first run on the board in the second inning. Sophomore Alex Dickerson hit a single that brought home senior Mark McCants from second base. The Black Knights were threatening again in the next inning and had a runner on first and third with two outs. Freshman Jon Rosoff hit a grounder that dribbled down centerfield, but Iskenderian snatched it up and threw a bullet to get Rosoff out at first.
“At that time, it was a tie ballgame, so it was a big play and it was a good play,” Morris said.
Pitcher Danny Garcia (4-0) got the win in seven innings, two outs shy of his career-high against Barry last month. Against Army, he allowed six hits and the one run was earned.
Pitcher Derik Beauprez came on the mound in relief for Garcia and got three straight outs in the eighth. Pitcher Ryan Otero closed and sealed the win for Miami.
“I’m confident with my fellow pitchers,” Garcia said.
Miami outhit Army 9-6. Two errors from the Black Knights didn’t help either. It utilized five pitchers, and pitcher Patrick Gardner (2-1) finished with the loss.