Day two for Miami baseball a little calmer than opening night with double routs over NJIT
J.D. Arteaga’s first game as head coach was stressful.
After an 8-7 walk-off win over NJIT Friday evening, the Hurricanes allowed their new skipper to breathe a little easier Saturday.
Miami cruised to a 19-2 win in the front end of the doubleheader, before posting a 16-0 shutout in the nightcap at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field.
“It was good to get a chance to put some guys in the lineup and get some at-bats, and get their feet wet,” Arteaga said. “Last night was pretty fun too, but it was good to see so many guys for the first time in a real game.”
Thirteen different Hurricanes mounted a hit, as Miami (3-0) scored in 13 of its 16 trips to the plate against NJIT (0-3).
Freshman Daniel Cuvet and sophomore Jason Torres led the charge, finishing a combined 14-for-19 with four home runs and 14 RBI.
“Everybody should know by now, even after two games, that guy is going to be special here,” Torres said about Cuvet. “Come out here and find out. That’s all I can say.”
On the mound, the Hurricanes held the Highlanders to only one earned run across 18 innings.
Junior southpaws Rafe Schlesinger and Herick Hernandez set the tone on the bump.
Schlesinger recorded a co-career-high nine strikeouts across five frames in his first career start.
Meanwhile, Hernandez tossed six no-hit innings, fanning 10 batters in his Hurricane debut.
“He just knows how to pitch,” Arteaga said about Hernandez. “He’s a guy that has really good stuff, but he’s also got really good command. He had everything going today. Any pitcher is tough to beat when they have everything going.”
As dominant as Schlesinger and Hernandez were on the hill, fifth-year redshirt sophomore Myles Caba made his mark on the doubleheader.
Caba, who missed each of the last two seasons recovering from Tommy John Surgery, pitched for the first time in 728 days.
The left-hander tossed a scoreless frame to punctuate the evening’s shutout.
“It’s special for everybody,” Arteaga said. “He’s one of the clubhouse favorites. He’s worked so hard, so it was certainly a very emotional day. Everyone’s very, very happy for him.”
With the win, the Hurricanes have secured their 18th straight Opening Weekend series victory.
Miami will look to cap off the sweep Sunday. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.
“It’s the most fun I’ve ever had,” Cuvet said. “I’ve been envisioning this moment for a long time. We’re going to try and finish the job tomorrow.”
