In the second game of a doubleheader, with members of the 1999 National Championship team in attendance at Mark Light Field, pitcher Herick Hernandez and the Miami Hurricanes put on a show, defeating the New Jersey Institute of Technology Highlanders (NJIT) 16-0.
The Hurricanes dominated all facets of the game Saturday night, with Miami-Dade transfer Hernandez controlling the bats against the NJIT offense.
In his first start of his Hurricane tenure, the lefty allowed zero hits, zero runs, three walks, and struck out ten batters in six impressive innings of work under the lights.
It wasn’t until the 7th inning that NJIT’s Kevin Putsky put the Highlanders in the hit column after stroking a double into the left field gap off Miami’s Brandon Olivera. The away team finished the evening with three hits while failing to produce much offense with runners on.
UM, however, continued to flex their muscles on the attack, scoring a staggering 16 runs against the NJIT pitching staff. The Hurricanes have now scored at least eight runs in their first three games against the Highlanders and finished Saturday as a whole with 35 total runs of offense.
In his first at-bat of the season, catcher Jack Scanlon sent a rocket to right center field and over the fence for the team’s first home run of the game. The backstop’s two-run shot allowed the Hurricanes to jump to an early 3-0 lead.
Miami took advantage of the pitching woes of the Highlanders, smashing 14 hits while batting .400 with runners in scoring position.
NJIT starter Brandon Peterson struggled against the ‘Canes firepower, allowing five runs and walking three batters on six hits in only four innings of work. The Highlanders were forced to rely on their bullpen throughout the game.
Wake Forest transfer Lucas Costello had the best performance of his young Miami career, crushing his first home run as a ‘Cane deep into the Miami night. Costello finished the night going 2-3, tallying four RBIs and a walk.
The corners of the infield for the Hurricanes dominated this afternoon, leading the way for a day filled with offense. In two games Saturday, sophomore first baseman Jason Torres tallied seven hits, five RBIs, and 15 total bases, including two long home runs in the 1st game of the doubleheader.
Trying to fill the hole left by former ‘Cane Yohandy “Yo-Yo” Morales, freshman third baseman Daniel Cuvet stepped right into the shoes of the former All-American infielder. In the doubleheader today, the rookie flexed his power, hitting two home runs and tallying seven hits and seven RBIs to power the Hurricanes into another blowout.
Cuvet would deal the finishing blow to the Highlanders, hitting a towering grand slam over the right field wall to seal the deal for Miami. The former top third base prospect’s home run extended UM’s lead to an insurmountable 16-0 score.
The Hurricanes try to go for the four-game sweep Sunday against the Highlanders of NJIT. The first pitch is scheduled for 1 PM at Mark Light Field.