June 2, 2007
COLUMBIA, Mo. - With a 8-7 victory over Kent State in Game Three of the Columbia, Mo. Regional, the Miami Hurricanes kept their hopes alive for a 14th consecutive regional championship.
After back-to-back loses, the Golden Flashes are eliminated from regional competition. Miami will play the loser of Saturday night's Missouri/Louisville at 1 p.m. Sunday.
Hurricane Coach Jim Morris decided to save No. 1 starter Eric Erickson and used converted closer Enrique Garcia instead. Garcia (8-4) got the win with 7.1 innings of work. He gave up five hits and six runs (all earned).
Kent State start Evan Smith (4-5) got the loss, and Miami closer Danny Gil recorded his sixth save of the season.
Miami's offense got started in the first inning with a leadoff home run from Columbia native Blake Tekotte. It was the second time this year Tekotte has led off the game with a homer. Leftfielder Mark Sobolewski led off the second with a homer of his own to make the score 2-0.
Kent State loaded the bases with one out in the third. Two-hole hitter Doug Sanders hit a line drive to the center field, sacrificing in Brad Winter and bringing the Golden Flashes within a run at 2-1.
Miami got a run back in the fourth when Richard O'Brien drove in Sobolewski with a one-out double. O'Brien drove in another run in the sixth when he singled in Dennis Raben, who had led off the inning with a double. Also in the sixth, Gus Menedez was hit by Kent State reliever Reid Lamport and later was driven in by Dave DiNatale to make the score 5-1.
The Hurricanes plated two more runs in the seventh on RBI base hits from Raben and Menendez.
Senior shortstop Roger Tomas drove in DiNatale in the eighth with a single.
Kent State made things interesting in the eighth inning with six runs. Garcia loaded the bases after giving up a leadoff double, a walk and hitting a batter. Garcia struck out the leadoff hitter Chris Tremblay and then hit Sanders to force in a run. Andrew Davis singled in Will Vazquez to bring Kent State within five runs at 8-3. Alex Koronis was called in from the bullpen and threw one pitch to Anthony Gallas who drove in three runs with a triple to the right-center field wall.
Morris replaced Koronis with closer Danny Gil. Gil struck out Greg Rohan and got Jason Patton to hit a routine grounder to Tomas, but the ball squeezed through Tomas' legs, allowing another run to score. Two walks to Winter and Vazquez loaded the bases but reserve Conor Egan struck out on four pitches to end the threat.
After a 1-2-3 Miami top of the ninth, Tremblay hit the first pitch he saw in the bottom of the inning to the left-center wall for a double. A poorly executed sacrifice by Sanders allowed Miami to tag out Tremblay who was running to third; Sanders reached on the fielder's choice. Davis popped up on the infield to record the second out. All-Mid-American Conference left fielder Anthony Gallas struck out to end the game.
"We were very fortunate to win it," Morris said. "They lead off with a double and Gil made a great play on the bunt, and it was the most important play of the game."
Seven of the nine Miami starters recorded a RBI in the game, and eight reached base via a hit. Miami scored in six of the nine innings.