3 HR, 2 from Yohandy Morales, lead Miami baseball to 11-2 Tuesday night win over Stetson
Miami baseball hit eight home runs opening weekend against Penn State. They mashed three more tonight and are just the second team in the ACC to double-figure home runs.
Yohandy Morales – who hit two home runs Tuesday night – said this comes as no surprise.
The No. 22 Miami Hurricanes dispatched the Stetson Hatters, 11-2, in their first midweek game of the season at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field on Tuesday night.
The Hurricanes were 9-3 in midweek games last season and started this season with a bang.
Miami (3-1, 0-0 ACC) wasted no time getting to Stetson starter Jonathan Gonzalez. C.J. Kayfus’ sharp single put runners on the corners, and Morales did the rest.
The third baseman’s 30th career home run was also one of his longest; taking two-seam fastball 456 feet to left center field, giving Miami a 3-0 lead in the first.
“I was seeing the ball well out of my hands,” Morales said. “I just want to do whatever I can to help my team score runs.”
Miami starter Alejandro Torres set the tempo from there. The fourth-year redshirt sophomore earned his first career start on Tuesday kept Stetson (3-1, 0-0 Atlantic Sun) off the scoreboard.
The FIU transfer recorded a career-most 3.0 IP for the Hurricanes, throwing a career-high seven strikeouts. His fastball maxed out at 94 MPH, sitting consistently in the low nineties, and was located well throughout the early innings.
“More than anything, it’s been fastball command. It’s something that J.D. [Arteaga] has been really adamant with me since we got back from fall ball,” Torres said. “It doesn’t matter what you throw, it’s where you throw it.”
The right-hander is already up to 11 strikeouts in five-and-two-thirds innings this season, after recording four punchouts on opening night against Penn State.
Miami put the game nearly out of sight in the third inning, with five runs coming across. Morales added his second home run of the night with a towering blast over the left-field scoreboard, stretching the lead to five.
One of Miami’s standouts on Sunday was freshman infielder Blake Cyr. He impressed in his first career start, going 2-for-4 and adding his first career RBI.
In his second at-bat of his second start, he left the yard for the first time. The second baseman launched a two-run shot to right-center field to build the lead to 7-0.
“[It felt] unreal, I knew I got all of it off the bat,” Cyr said. “I’m so excited to keep it going.”
The Cyr show continued in the fourth inning. After a Stetson solo home run cut the lead to 8-1, the Windermere, FL. native drilled a two-run double opposite way to right field, giving Miami a 10-1 cushion going into the fifth.
Five Hurricanes made their season debuts in the closing stages of the game. Catcher J.D. Jones and outfielder Lorenzo Carrier made their season debuts, while third baseman Jason Torres made his NCAA debut.
Jacoby Long made the biggest impact, drilling a crisp RBI double down the left field line to score Jones all the way from first base, building the lead to 10. Stetson got one back off a solo home run in the eighth, but Miami debutant Sebastian Perez pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to close off the win.
Torres received the win, moving to 1-0 on the season and 4-0 in his UM career. Gonzalez received the loss for Stetson, dropping to 0-1.
The Hurricanes host their second midweek matchup of the week tomorrow against the Indiana State Sycamores. First pitch is scheduled for 6:00 P.M.
