Opening weekend for Miami has gone as good as can be so far, with total domination of the Niagara Purple Eagles in the first two games of the series, 14-2 on Friday and 10-0 on Saturday. It was no different for Miami in the final game of the series on Sunday.
The Hurricanes once again defeated the Purple Eagles in commanding fashion with a final score of 11-1 on Sunday afternoon. The game did not even last seven innings, since the ’Canes reached the 10-run lead mercy rule that both teams agreed upon prior to the game. In total, UM recorded 11 hits and seven walks on the offensive side of the ball while also notching 15 strikeouts with zero errors on the defensive end.
The first five innings were without a doubt the Brian Walters show. He got into some trouble in the first inning, giving up a run and two walks and had to fight his way out of a situation with the bases loaded. However, the redshirt junior was nothing but in control during the rest of his outing. In only five innings of play, Walters notched 10 strikeouts while only giving up one run, two walks and three hits. All except for one hit came in the first inning. Walters had a very strong outing for his first start in his injury-riddled career as a ’Cane so far, which also became his first-ever win.
The rest of the team had a top-tier outing as well. Niagara’s 1-0 lead, which came from a single by junior Shawn Cameron that brought in junior Nate Milk, had a short lifespan after the Hurricanes tied it up following a single by senior Dorian Gonzalez Jr. that brought freshman Michael Torres into score.
The second inning went almost as quickly as it could be for both teams. In the top half of the inning, Miami’s fielders did not have to move a muscle since Walters struck out the side. However, the Hurricanes were not able to capitalize on their starter’s 1, 2, 3 inning because the Purple Eagles managed to get three straight outs of their own.
The top of the third inning kept the defensive trend running as UM notched another three-straight outs. The trend ended in the bottom half of the inning, as the Hurricanes notched three runs to give themselves a 4-1 advantage. The first of which came in the form of a Gonzalez double that brought freshman Brandon DeGoti, who made his first career start, in to score. The other two runs came off a single from senior Wichita State transfer Derek Williams that brought in junior UNC Greensboro transfer Jake Ogden and Gonzalez.
The top of the fourth inning went pretty much the same way the last two innings had gone for the ’Canes defense, as they recorded yet another three straight outs, two of which came in the form of Walters strikeouts. From innings two through four, the Hurricanes recorded 12 straight outs. As for the bottom of the inning, the Purple Eagles replaced their starting pitcher freshman Nate Bennett, who had thrown 57 pitches while giving up four runs in three innings of work, for sophomore Jack Dickinson. Dickinson’s outing went south almost as soon as it began, giving up a home run to DeGoti. This was his first career homer as well as the first batter Dickinson faced in the game to give the ’Canes a 5-1 lead.
Things for Dickinson just got even worse from there, as Torres showcased his top-tier speed – first in the form of his first career double, then in the form of scoring off of a sacrifice fly from fellow freshman Ethan Puig, who came in to pinch hit for Gonzalez, who left the game with a non-serious injury, to make the lead 6-1.
Even more, Torres did not score from third base, where most sacrifice fly scores take place from, as he scored all the way from second base. The Puig sac fly was the only out Dickinson managed to tally, as he was replaced soon after by junior submarine-style pitcher Johnny Montgomery, who recorded the final two outs of the inning.
In his fifth and final inning of work, Walters stayed hot, allowing only one hit while he struck out the other three batters he faced. The Hurricanes’ offense kept the scoring train running in the bottom half of the inning, as they tacked on another two runs to increase their lead to 8-1. The first of the two scores came by way of a wild pitch by Montgomery, which brought in Williams from third base. The second run was scored by senior Oregon State transfer Tanner Smith, who came home after a fielding error.
With Walters’ day of work finished, the Hurricanes brought in freshman left-hander Michael Fernandez for his first career pitching appearance. Fernandez recorded three straight outs, two by way of strikeouts. The lead just kept growing for the ’Canes, as two more runs came in on a double from graduate student Penn State transfer Bobby Marsh to make the score 10-1.
For the seventh and final inning, Miami brought in sophomore Fordham transfer Brixton Lofgren to replace Fernandez. Lofgren struck out the side. In the bottom half of the inning, the final run that caused the 10-run lead rule to go into effect came from a single by freshman Fabio Peralta, who came into the game to be a pinch runner in the sixth inning. The win went to Walters for his first of the season, and the loss went to Bennett, the first for him in the young season as well.
Miami finished its opening weekend undefeated and started the season with a 3-0 record. For their next matchup, the ’Canes will travel to Boca Raton to face the Florida Atlantic Owls in a midweek matchup on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.