Oh my goodness I have Internet access here in Miami. Enjoy the live blog, as I've been writing stuff since before the game with the intent of posting it when I get home. Instead, I get to post it now. Hooray!
PRE-GAME
Okay, so I'm without Internet access again tonight. I think it has something to do with the fact that my computer is using Windows Vista, but really, I have no idea. Thanks again to the help attempt from Miami's sports information director, Kerwin Lonzo. Maybe tomorrow I'll actually be able to use the Internet. I'm going to bring a seven-foot cable and plug it into the wall.
Anyway, I'm going to type all this out in Microsoft Word and then copy/paste it into the blog when I get back home. It's mostly going to be ramblings and little things about Miami in general that you can't get from the straight article online.
First thing's first: before the national anthem each night here at Mark Light Field, four little league teams are introduced by the public address announcer. This guy just goes on and on and on reading names of little 7-year-old kids for four full teams. It's insane.
My seat in the press box has a giant pole right in front of it, and also to the right. Since I'm on the third-base line, I can't see the pitcher or the batter's box. Wonderful.
FIRST INNING - UF
Miami's pitcher goes to throw UF leadoff man Avery Barnes a pitch with a 2-2 count. I say, "Avery, what are you going to do? You're going to strike out swinging." He strikes out swinging. Also interesting: the chalkboard in here has Barnes and Dustin Bamberg listed as designated hitters for the game and no one playing left field. That can't be right.
Clayton Pisani walks in the two-spot, and Cole Figueroa gets his first hit of the series next. No perfect game or no-hitter tonight.
In his first at-bat of the season, Bamberg strikes out with the bases loaded to end the inning. Not his finest moment, but he'll get another chance in a few innings. The Gators would have loved to get an early start on this Hurricanes team, but they'll have to wait until the second inning.
FIRST INNING- MIAMI
The Gators start righty Patrick Keating tonight (1-0, 0.00 ERA) against a potent Miami lineup. Keating must really like ground balls to second base, because he induces three outs that way in the first. Clayton Pisani had 14 outfield assists coming into tonight. In the first, he added approximately 20 percent of that, bringing his total to 17.
SECOND INNING - UF
For the first time in the series, UF gets a leadoff man on, as freshman third baseman Josh Adams gets a bloop single just over the second baseman. Adams then got UF's first stolen base of the season. Follow that with a walk and a sacrifice bunt, and UF has runners on second and third. This is Gators baseball the Kevin O'Sullivan way.
The Gators load the bases, and Pisani adds to his big defensive night with a two-RBI single to give UF a 2-0 lead. All that catching of ground outs in the first inning must have energized him big time. Cole Figueroa follows that with an RBI ground out, and UF has a 3-0 advantage.
Miami's starter, Enrique Garcia, threw xx pitches in the first two innings, and I'd be surprised to see him in the third.
SECOND INNING - MIAMI
Maybe Keating should be the Friday night starter. He's appeared sharpest of every UF pitcher, and he kept it going in the second inning. He induced two groundouts and then struck out UM's right fielder looking. The Hurricanes have so far been able to get anything off of him.
THIRD INNING - UF
UF goes down in order. Nothing special. Miami left its starter in, and I guess the 'Canes knew what they were doing, because he looked much better than inning.
THIRD INNING - MIAMI
The Hurricanes strike in the third, getting a walk and then a single. They scored on the single after McArthur let the ball pass him. The runner who hit the single then made it to third base and scored with a single from the next batter. Keating got into some trouble, but worked his way out of it with a fly out and a ground out. Miami gets two, but still trails UF, 3-2.
FOURTH INNING - UF
Jonathan Pigott got plunked in the back-hard. Still, he's a trooper, and trotted over to first base. A Hampton Tignor sac bunt moved him over to second, and then an Avery Barnes single put him at third base. The Gators are getting another run going off Garcia.
Pigott comes out of the game and usual third baseman Jon Townsend pinch runs for him at third. His back must really be hurting him after the pitch hit him. Miami Herald writer Joe Goodman suggested that his kidneys may be bleeding. Way to be positive, Joe!
Cole Figueroa comes to bat with first base open, and Brandon Zimmerman of the Gainesville Sun can't believe they're going to pitch to him. So, of course, Figueroa comes through with a two-RBI single and Miami's pitcher is coming out. UF takes a 5-2 lead thanks to the team's best hitter coming through with two outs.
FOURTH INNING - MIAMI
Brandon McArthur falls backward onto his butt attempting to field a throw from Pisani and collides with Miami's base runner. Both are fine, and the Gators convert a double play on the next batter. Tinkers, Evers and Chance would be jealous. Figueroa ends the inning catching a lineout. Keating looks great, clearly the best pitcher UF has so far.
FIFTH INNING - UF
A leadoff walk and then a single from Bamberg gives UF two on with no out. Adams can't covert on a sac bunt as the Canes get the lead runner out. Townsend, batting for Pigott, strikes out, killing a rally. Tignor ends the inning with a ground out to second.
FIFTH INNING - MIAMI
Keating isn't getting any help from Pisani in this inning. The second baseman has consecutive errors to give the 'Canes runners on first and second with no outs. Then he loads the bases with a walk. Miami's batter looks like he's trying to hit a grand slam, but instead hits a measly two-run double. We have a one-run game, folks.
All the runs are unearned, and Pisani can't be feeling good right now. UF coach Kevin O'Sullivan puts Billy Bullock in, ending Keating's night.
Wow. With no outs and runners on second and third, Bullock gets a huge double play. Miami lines out to shortstop, and Figueroa throws to third to get the lead runner. The pressure on Bullock has dropped from incredibly intense, to slightly bothersome. The Gators may get out of this inning ahead.
And they do. Bullock strikes out Miami's batter on four pitches. UF still leads, but it's now a 5-4 game.
MID SIXTH
Okay, I've never heard a stadium make as many advertising announcements in between innings in my life. We've heard ads for jewelry stores, barber shops, pizza places and many more. Every half-inning we get more ads.
As for the Gators' sixth, it goes 1-2-3. It started out as such a great night for Pisani, but now he committed two errors and struck out in the last fifteen minutes. We'll see how he recovers in the field soon.
END SIXTH
UF gets lucky as two Miami batters prove that they only have warning-track power. If the wind was blowing in the 'Canes' favor, they might have two home runs instead of two fly outs off Bullock. Still, Bullock looks as composed as he did in his first two relief efforts.
Pisani redeems himself a little by getting a ground out to end the inning. Bullock's line so far has him going two innings and facing six batters. No hits and a strikeout for Bullock.
MID SEVENTH
UF goes 1-2-3 for the second consecutive inning. The Gators can't seem to get a hit off Miami's relief pitcher, Jason Santana. Santana has gone 3 1/3 innings and only given up one hit. A one-run lead for UF is hardly comfortable, and this game can change at any time.
END SEVENTH
After a leadoff walk, Miami gets two on base with quite possibly the luckiest bunt in the history of bunts. The ball floats over Bullocks head and lands in front of Pisani. Neither can make the play on the ball and the batter reaches first safely.
With that, Bullock's night is done, though he still seemed to be doing well. The last single was pure luck. Tony Davis comes in to replace him. Davis hasn't allowed a run in four appearances, and he promptly gets Miami to pop it up to third for a quick out.
And, well, that's all for Tony Davis. They put him in to get lefties out, and he does his job. He has more appearances than anyone on the staff, but has faced the fewest batters. Josh Edmondson comes in now to finish the inning.
Edmondson gives up a single right away, and this game is tied. Miami loads the bases with an intentional walk, and the pressure is right back up for Edmondson. Miami's entire dugout is standing up, waving white towels in an attempt to encourage the Canes' batter. Maybe the towels are working, because Miami smacks a two-run double to the right center field gap, deflating the Gators and igniting the crowd. And there's still only one out.
With the bases loaded, Edmondson gets a Miami batter to pop up to second base and then gets a grounder to third to end the inning. But the damage has been done, and Miami has a 7-5 lead with two innings to go.
MID EIGHTH
Pigott got single with one out to start something for the Gators, and Bryson Barber came in to pinch hit. Miami got a new pitcher in to face Barber, Carlos Gutierrez. Barber was 4 for 11 going into tonight's game, the fifth-highest batting average on the team among qualified hitters. So, logically, he strikes out. The Gators only had one out with which to work, and leadoff man Avery Barnes walks.
With another chance to redeem himself from all the runs he cost the Gators in these last two games, second baseman Clayton Pisani strikes out for the third time tonight.
END EIGHTH
The Gators put in J.K. LaCoste in place of Edmondson, who easily had his worst outing of the year.
Another error starts off the inning, this time a fly ball dropped by Avery Barnes. The errors are absolutely killing the Gators. The runner advances to second on the error, then to third on a sac fly, and then scores on a wild pitch. UF took itself out of the game tonight, and Miami leads 8-5.
GAME OVER
The Gators really shot themselves in the foot tonight. They couldn't come up with a ninth-inning rally, and Miami claims this one 8-5 and the series. The teams meet again tomorrow at 1 p.m. with UF hoping to salvage something out of this trip to South Florida.
