Mike Kaffee
Hurricanes Baseball Reporter
[email protected]
Jason Torres picked up where Dominic Pitelli left off in carrying the standard of excellence tonight in a 3-4 performance including the Grand Salami as he provided the offense and Alejandro Rosario provided the pitching to clinch the series with a 12-1 victory. Alejandro put on a pitching clinic tonight tying a career-high 12 strikeouts as he kept “Hosing” one batter after another. The Presbyterian batters were held in gridlock not being able to catch up to Pipo’s fastball, traveling up towards 98 MPH striking out the first 5 of 6 batters faced. Tonight, there was no stopping him. His fastball was literally unhittable punching out 10 through the first 4 innings. Tonight, the offense did not wait until the 6th to put a crooked number on the scoreboard. Jason Torres, filling in for an ailing Yoyo for the second night, took advantage of opportunity knocking with a Grand Slam to give Miami a 4-0 lead at the end of two. Pipo pitched 6 clean innings only allowing 3 hits without a walk. No one ever got beyond first base. After 100 pitches he turned it over to the BP after the Cane bats had already added 5 more to the 4 that Torres provided earlier. Once again zeros across the board going into the 9th and once again the shutout lost on a one-out single to right center. For the Blue Hose that would be all they could mustard dropping the series and game two by the score of 12-1
After a quiet first going 3up/3down, Blake Cyr opened the second with a single through the middle starting the chain of events of loading the bases with Dom and Carlos being hit by pitch. That brought to the plate Jason Torres who has seen limited action this season being Yoyo’s understudy but tonight he had a chance to showcase his talents. With bases loaded, he eyes a fastball on a 2-0 count and smokes it 389′ to left to put Miami on the board 4-0.
Errors always have a way to come back and haunt you as it did for the Hose in the 5th and more so in the 6th. Edgardo opened the 5th with an E5 which would work itself into having runners on the corners before a SF to left by Blake equated to an unearned run and extend Miami’s lead to 5-0. One inning later, not one but two, and what should have been 3 errors generated 4 more runs. Jason added onto his 4 RBIs with his 5th with an RBI double followed by Kayfus bringing in Jason with a single to center. An error by the SS added two more runs giving Miami a comfortable 9-0 cushion and a parting gift to Alejandro as gratitude for the excellent pitching performance through 6 innings.
After the four-run/three-hit performance in the 6th, the bats just started warming up. The 8th three-runs/four-hits hi-lited by three consecutive singles (JD Jones, Jason Torres, Renzo Gonzalez) and capped off with a Dario Gomez double and SF by Dorian Gonzalez. You give the opportunity for the reserves to execute, cold from the bench, and like last night they delivered. Like Jason Torres, tonight we are overloaded with talent awaiting their chance to contribute and hopefully work themselves into a starting role.
Refe Schlesinger took us into the 9th with another possible shutout within our grasp. For the second time, not to be with a lead-off single, WP, followed with a one-out single to right center for their first run. A 6-4-3 DP finalized the Miami series win 12-1
Another double-digit night with the bat pounding out 12 hits with three in multiple numbers: CJ Kayfus 2-4(double,RBI); Carlos Perez 2-2; and tonight’s Player of the Game Jason Torres 3-4(double,HR,5RBIs). Additionally, Dario Gomez collected an RBI double, PH for Zach Levenson in the 8th.
It was his finest hour, where Alejandro Torres couldn’t do anything wrong completing 6 full innings and striking out 12 only allowing 3 scattered hits. The BP of Lequerica, Scinta, and Schlesinger each pitched one inning giving the rest of the BP ready to take on all comers tomorrow in the hope of SWEEPING the series. No mention of who will start but for certain it won’t be Karson Ligon who continues to ail with whatever is keeping him out of the rotation. They are hoping for his return for the Tournament, but how effective he will be without throwing all this time is anyone’s guess. We have two weeks after tomorrow for the BP by Committe to get their act ready for post-season play. The Committee continue to sharpen their skills tomorrow starting at 1PM.