Miami puts forth their best effort of the season in matchup versus Manhattan

Coming into Friday night’s game, there were many questions surrounding the Miami Hurricanes baseball team.

Could this team dominate their opponent from start to finish? Could an ace emerge from what many perceive to be a group of above-average pitchers? And can Miami handle business through their weak part of the schedule like a true top 10 team ?

While all these questions may not have been answered Friday, there was no doubt in fans minds as they left Alex Rodriguez Park that they had witnessed a beat down.

Despite the team’s number 6 ranking, the Hurricanes had yet to put forth a dominant performance that would make fans confident the team was among the best in the country. Miami handled the opening series of the season against Rutgers with ease, but after losing a weekend series to the #1 ranked Florida Gators many ‘Canes fans felt uneasy moving forward.

Miami did respond from the series defeat with a 6-2 victory over Florida Gulf Coast University on Wednesday, but even in that matchup there was a point when the game was in question.

On Friday night; however, for the first time this season, the outcome was never in question.

Senior,  Thomas Woodrey,  pitched a shutout on the mound for the ‘Canes, and was hot from the start. Miami’s ace only allowed two hits throughout the duration of the ball game, and had 4 strikeouts within the first 3 innings.

First time a Miami pitcher has had at least 10 strikeouts since Andy Suarez April 4, 2015 vs. Duke. Woodrey dealing tonight. #GoCanes

— Hurricanes Baseball (@CanesBaseball) March 5, 2016

In the past, Miami has needed a team effort out of the bullpen to pull out a victory, but tonight Woodrey was dominant enough. The left hander pitched 8 out of the game’s 9 innings, and only walked one batter. Woodrey did not allow a single run in the ballgame, and had plenty of run support to work with.

In the first inning, Miami struck the first blow thanks to an RBI single from Johnny Ruiz to take a 1-0 lead.  Ruiz has been one of the Hurricanes’ best batters all season, and he continued his hot streak with a 2-4 performance at the plate against the Jaspers.

Despite the great performance from Ruiz; however, it was a total team effort for Miami. In a game where the Hurricanes won 10-0, not a single player had more than 2 RBIs, and the team totaled 18 hits. The scoring output was the highest of the season for the ‘Canes, and Miami’s bats made it a miserable night for Manhattan pitcher Tom Cosgrove. 

Cosgrove pitched 5 innings for the Jaspers, and allowed 11 hits throughout the night. The hits quickly turned into runs for Miami, who brought 6 runs in with Cosgrove on the mound. Three relievers attempted to save the game afterwards, but each struggled and only got one inning of work.

Weston native Daniel Epstein stepped in for the Hurricanes once Thomas Woodrey finished his 8 innings of work, and the sophomore closed up the game.   Epstein only allowed one hit in the final inning, and completed the team shutout for Miami.

In the end,  Miami won the game by a final score of 10-0 and now takes a 1-0 lead in the weekend series. Sophomore Michael  Mediavilla will take the mound for Miami against right handed pitcher Joey Rocchietti. Mediavilla comes in with a record of 2-0, and is fresh off of a victory against the Florida Gators last weekend.

First pitch is set for 7 o’clock, and with a win Miami will take the series victory.