Mike Kaffee
Hurricanes Baseball Reporter
[email protected]
Sirens sounded over Mac Nease Baseball Park in Atlanta Ga. as a CAT 5 HURRICANE descended over the field bringing untold damage in the way of an insurmountable amount of hits and runs as 4 games of frustration were totally unleashed striking with 13 runs on sixteen hits. Five were for extra bases and 4 thunderous blows left the Yard in a hurry. Georgia Tech for today was a Rambling Wreck where the sting of the Yellow Jacket was NO more. Today called for a total team effort requiring hitting, pitching, and fielding to finally come together forming a Perfect Storm. Miami did exactly that taking an early lead and never letting up to the final out. Crooked numbers in the second and fourth but putting the ultimate STING in the 9th with a 6-run outpouring of pure HURRICANE POWER; unleashing the total energy of a Miami CAT 5 with 6 runs including back-to-back-HRs. What was Tech’s Field of Dreams the past two nights is now a Field of Dispair and Chaos as Miami takes Game 3 13-2.
As anticipated a bit of a shakeup in the bottom of the order with Gino going with 7 lefthanders in the lineup. Burke and Morales were the only exceptions. As has been for most of the season 1-6 remains the same (Kayfus,Villegas,Morales,Romero,Burke,Pitelli). Batting 7th Mike Rosario playing RF with Renzo Gonzalez,DH, batting 8th and Henry Wallen at 2B batting in the 9th position. Alejandro Rosario on the rubber. As a note I did see Dorian Gonzalez in uniform and was told he was throwing the ball in pregame. Henry Wallen has definitely stepped up taking advantage of Dorian absence to include his first HR today. Defensively, Dorian is definitely the better fielder. Still no word on his return.
For the first time this series, Miami struck first with opening hits from CJ, Yoyo, and Max to ring up the first score. Two more in the second with back-to-back doubles by Mike Rosario and Renzo Gonzalez for one and picking up their second run of the inning on an E6 throwing error to first scoring Renzo.
Miami had built a 3-0 lead before the Jackets would have an answer. For the first two innings, their problems were brought about by not being able to put up any type of showing from Rosario’s pitching. 9 pitches in the first and 15 in the second kept them in tight control. An opening E6 error in the first was eliminated with a 1-4-3 DP. Second inning 2 of 3 struck out. Alejandro seemed to have their number until the 3rd and it appeared whatever he had in the first two innings was totally spent. Doubled his pitch count to 48 with 6 batters coming to the plate and coming away with their initial run on 2 hits leaving two stranded.
Miami got the run back in the 4th on Henry Wallen first career HR to RF leaving the yard at 395′. One inning later Max continued his 21st birthday celebration with his third HR of the series going downtown to right-center at 402′. Max brought Yoyo for the ride who singled just prior. Back-to-back doubles in the 7th by Edgardo, first hit of the series, and Yoyo extended the score to 7-1 before Tech was able to answer with one of their own.
Rosario continued to work himself into trouble after Tech put up their initial score in the third. With a two-out triple, HP, and walk to load the bases Alejandro showed signs of further unraveling in the 4th. A 6-4 groundout ended what was looking at a resurgence from the Tech bench.
Jackets feeling a comeback was in the cards for them opened the 5th with back-to-back singles. As quickly as the fires were starting to stir, Mike Rosario and a company of IFers doused the flames with a 9-6-3-4-2 out at the plate when the runner at first tried scoring on the hit to right. Jackets would get their third hit of the inning but no damage resulted. At 86 pitches, Rosario’s day was concluded completing 5 complete innings.
JP Gates only lasted 2 batters and 8 pitches before Alex McFarlane gets the call from the BP. After JP hit his second batter, Alex finished the inning without further damage. For the past 4 innings, Tech had been threatening to break out only being held in reign to just a run coming in the 3rd. The 7th brought a change in the scenario. Alex still on the mound. opened with a single, walk and WP putting runners on 2nd and 3rd. Strikeout looking settled things down until a scorcher hit back at him hitting what appeared to be his pitching arm knocking him to the ground. Pure adrenaline took over and he managed to recover the ball and get the out at first but a run scored from third. On the better side of caution, Gage Ziehl is brought in to finish the 7th and pitch the 8th.
Score standing at 7-2 into the 9th, the signal that a CAT 5 was about to descend caught the Jackets failing to take the warning. 11 batters stormed Mac Nease Park with a 6 run, 5 hit downpour opening with a double to right by Yoyo,his second, Burke’s one-out single scores Yoyo. A two-out single by Mike Rosario scores Burke. Gaby walks setting up Ariel Garcia’s initial HR as a Cane with a 412′ no-doubter to left. With the bases cleared and 5 runs on the board CJ adds one more for the “piece de resistance” to center 412′ to cap off the 13th and final run.
Andrew Walters was brought in to finalize and seal the decision denying the Jackets the sweep and leaving them food for thought if and when they meet again post-season.
The offense was explosive doubling their hitting production from the first two games combined. Everyone in the starting lineup with the exception of Dominic Pitelli recorded a hit. Five were with multiple hits: CJ Kayfus 2-6 (HR,RBI); Yohandy Morales 4-5 (2doubles,RBI); Maxwell Romero 2-5 (HR,3RBI); Mike Rosario 2-4 (double,RBI); Ariel Garcia 2-2 (HR,2RBI). Additionally doubles by Edgardo Villegas and Renzo Gonzalez (RBI). Additional to the HRs by CJ and Max.: Henry Wallen.
The 4 game slide is now behind us. We turned it around convincingly through hitting, pitching and defense. This was exactly the game we needed to move forward. With two remaining ACC series we have to be pointing in the right direction facing off against FSU and ND before moving on to the Conference Tournament. No week game due to finals and playing an out of Conference series with North Dakota State. Can’t take this series for granted after the Stetson game earlier this week.
These type of games can only hurt our numbers especially if we don’t put on a showing as we did today. First pitch Friday 7PM.
