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Jun 8, 2008 10:47 am US/Eastern
Baseball 'Canes One Win Away From World Series
Canes Meet Arizona For Final Game Sunday
Winner Will Advance To The College World Series
The Miami baseball Hurricanes managed to hang on Saturday to beat Arizona 14-10 in the college baseball super-regionals, giving them a chance to play Sunday night for the opportunity to travel to the college World Series in Omaha.
Four different players hit home runs to get Miami the win, evening their Super Regional series Saturday night.
"It's the biggest win of the year," Miami head coach Jim Morris said. "It puts the pressure back on them and gives us the momentum."
Yonder Alonso and Yasmani Grandal each hit three-run homers and Mark Sobolewski hit a go-ahead solo home run as the Hurricanes (51-9) rallied from an early four-run deficit. Jason Hagerty also homered for Miami.
Sobolewski's leadoff homer off Arizona reliever Mike Colla (4-3) in the sixth put Miami ahead 8-7. Grandal hit a three-run home run later in the inning.
The Hurricanes increased their lead to 12-7 on Hagerty's bases-loaded walk in the seventh. Miami's Dennis Raben walked six times, tying an NCAA record previously set by Josh Hamilton May 29, 1999.
Arizona pitchers walked a school record 16 batters. The third and deciding game will be Sunday night. Arizona won the opener 6-3 Friday night.
Jon Gaston hit his second home run of the regional in the seventh as his two-run shot reduced the Miami lead to 12-9. The Wildcats (42-18) got within two on Rafael Valenzuela's RBI double in the eighth.
But the Hurricanes added two insurance runs in the top of the ninth. Alonso scored on Arizona third baseman C.J. Ziegler's fielding error and Adan Severino's RBI single. David Gutierrez (5-0) pitched four innings in relief for the win.
The Hurricanes erased a 4-0 deficit with a six-run fourth inning. Hagerty's two-run home run cut Arizona's lead to 4-3 and Jemile Weeks' run-scoring single tied it 4-4. Yonder Alonso followed with a three-run home run, which gave Miami a 7-4 lead and chased Arizona starter David Coulon.
Coulon surrendered seven runs and six hits, walked five and struck out four.
Miami scored its first run on Sobolewski's RBI double in the third. Sobolewski doubled twice after going hitless Friday night.
"I went up there with the same approach (Saturday)," Sobolewski said. "Obviously I had much better results."
The Wildcats struck early with four runs against Miami starter Eric Erickson in the first. Gaston hit a run-scoring double and Ziegler followed with his 20th home run of the year. T.J. Steele singled, stole second and scored on Mike Weldon's RBI single for Arizona's fourth run of the inning.
Erickson settled down with quick innings in the second and third but was lifted with one out in the fourth after surrendering the lead.
Steele scored on a balk from third base and reduced Miami's lead to 7-5. Valenzuela hit an RBI groundout and Colt Sedbrook followed with a run-scoring single.
Erickson allowed seven runs, walked three and struck out one.
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