May 14, 2009

Box Score | Box Score in PDF Format

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - No. 24 Miami scored 14 runs over the first three innings and cruised to a 23-5 win over Wake Forest in the series opener on Thursday night at Wake Forest Baseball Park.

Wake Forest drops to 22-28 and 6-22 in Atlantic Coast Conference play, while Miami improves to 33-18 and 16-12 in league play.

The Hurricanes scored early and often, tallying six runs in the first and second innings and two in the third inning to take a commanding 14-0 lead. Miami batted around in each of the first two innings and three times total during the game. For the game, the `Canes pounded out 25 hits and scored 23 runs.

Chris Herrmann led Miami at the plate with three hits, three RBIs and five runs scored. Dave DiNatale added three hits and scored three runs. Ted Blackman and Nathan Melendres each had a game-high five RBIs. Scott Lawson hit his third home run of the season for Miami.

Weldon Woodall had a team-high three hits for the Demon Deacons with an RBI and a run scored. Mike Murray went 2-for-4 with a run scored and a run driven in.

Chris Hernandez earned the win for the Hurricanes to improve to 7-3 on the season. He threw five innings and allowed five runs, three of them earned, on eight hits. He struck out five and walked three. John Housey earned his first save of the season, pitching four scoreless innings to close the game.

Phil Negus suffered the loss for Wake Forest to drop to 2-6. Negus started and retired just two batters, giving up six runs on seven hits.

Miami wasted no time in scoring, striking six times in the first inning. Lawson led off the game with a towering home run over the left-center field fence to put the Hurricanes in front 1-0. After Ryan Jackson grounded out to second, Jason Hagerty singled through the left side and moved to third on a hit and run single off the bat of Yasmani Grandal. Herrmann singled to center to score Hagerty. Harold Martinez hit a single to right field to move Grandal to third. Evan Ocheltree bobbled the ball in right field, allowing Grandal to cross the plate. Hermann came across on a wild pitch. DiNatale doubled to the left-center field gap to score Martinez. Melendres drove in the final run of the inning with an infield single.

The Hurricanes doubled their lead with six runs in the second. With the bases loaded and no outs, Hermann singled up the middle to score two runs. Blackman singled through the left side for an RBI single to make the score 9-0. Two more runs crossed the plate on a single by Melendres. A sacrifice fly to right off the bat of Jackson made the score 12-0.

After Miami added two runs in the third, Wake Forest got on the scoreboard with five runs in the bottom of the third. Shane Kroker led off the inning with a triple to right field and Ryan Semeniuk drew a walk. After Dustin Hood struck out swinging, Murray singled to right field to bring home Kroker for Wake's first run of the game. Woodall doubled to right field to plate Semeniuk. Murray and Woodall crossed the plate when Bentley Heyman reached on a fielding error by the third baseman. Ocheltree reached base on an infield single. The ball got past the second baseman and trickled into shallow center field, allowing Heyman to score for Wake's fifth run of the inning.

Miami plated three runs in the top of the fifth. Blackman singled to right field to score two runs. Melendres hit an RBI double to left field to make the score 17-5.

The Hurricanes closed the scoring with two runs in the seventh and four runs in the eighth.

The Demon Deacons and Hurricanes continue the three-game series on Friday at 6 p.m. Michael Dimock (4-3, 6.83) will start for Wake Forest, while Miami will throw Iden Nazario (5-3, 6.50). Wake Forest will honor its 2009 senior class in a pregame ceremony, approximately scheduled for 5:45 p.m.