FIU 0, MIA 10; Canes offense lights up in the sixth to win it

The MIami Hurricanes sent the FIU Panthers home on a mercy rule in the seventh inning, and it all started with a leadoff walk. After FIU pitchers Joel Pineiro and Zac Lampton began the game with four combined scoreless innings, Cameron Knox committed one of the cardinal sins of baseball in the sixth inning: he allowed the first hitter of the inning to reach base on balls.

The Hurricanes took advantage of this fundamental mistake. After the walk to Edgardo Villegas and a subsequent Yohandy Morales single, Knox was pulled for David Eckaus.

But the sophomore reliever was left to pay for Knox’s sins. Left fielder Zach Levenson hit a line drive down the right field line to score Villegas, and Blake Cyr followed up with a two-RBI single on the next at-bat. The first five batters of the inning reached base safely before Eckaus was relieved by Richie Pena.

First baseman CJ Kayfus – the ninth batter of the inning – capped off the five-run inning with a two-RBI single to center field.

The very next inning, the Hurricanes sent FIU packing early thanks to an RBI from Dominic Pitelli and two RBIs each from Lorenzo Carrier and Carlos Perez to force a 10-run mercy rule, which is triggered when a team goes up by 10 runs during or after the seventh inning.

Nine of Miami’s eleven hits and all of their runs were recorded in the final two innings.

Miami head coach Gino DiMare said his ideal philosophy is to try to score every inning. But with FIU using six relievers on Wednesday, he said that philosophy “goes out the window.”

“We won the game in two innings,” DiMare said. “If you're putting up zeros on pitching and defense, all it takes is one run. Baseball is a funny game. We're going into the 6th, it’s a 0-0 game, and you say ‘oh my goodness, this is probably going to be a low scoring close game. Going to have to probably bring in (closing pitcher Andrew Walters).’ And then 30 minutes later, It's 10 to nothing and the games over.”

Starting pitcher Ronaldo Gallo and relievers Ben Chestnutt and Carlos Lequerica combined for seven shutout innings.

After allowing two runs in 2.1 innings against a weak Presbyterian team on Sunday, Gallo said he felt much better coming into Wednesday’s matchup.

“It was kind of funny because I literally told (catcher JD Jones) before the game that it's crazy how some days you feel your best, but you don't have your best stuff, and the days that you don't feel so good and you have one of your better outings,” Gallo said. “And today just happened to be one of those days where I felt good. My teammates have always been behind me, I was working the zone, and that was the key to tonight.”