Gutierrez’s 2 HRs lead Hurricanes in opener

CORAL GABLES — Gaby Gutierrez has not provided the Hurricanes with much pop this season, but that changed Thursday night.

The freshman left fielder, who had hit one home run through his first 41 games this season, drilled a pair of home runs in No. 9 Miami’s (38-15) 6-4 win over No. 8 Notre Dame (32-12) in the first game of a threegame series at Mark Light Field in Coral Gables on Thursday.

“At the end of it all, whatever helps the team,” Gutierrez said. “My stats are off, but I don’t really care about them, honestly. But whatever helps the team, puts them on top, is what really matters.”

Gutierrez hit two of the Hurricanes’ three home runs Thursday night. Third baseman Yohandy Morales hit the first of the three big flies in the fourth inning, which tied the game at one. Gutierrez followed Morales with a three-run, 414-foot home run in the fifth inning, which put Miami ahead 4-1.

Gutierrez’s second blast came in the seventh inning. His two-run, 406-foot home run to left-center field gave the Hurricanes two more insurance runs.

“The three home runs did all the damage,” Miami coach Gino DiMare said. “Of course, the two were very, very big. And then the last one, that’s the difference-maker: a two-run home run and we win by two runs.”

Miami received stellar pitching from ace starter Carson Palmquist and a strong performance from the bullpen Thursday night.

Palmquist put the Hurricanes on the right foot Thursday night, pitching five innings and allowing just one run on one hit. The left-handed sophomore struck out eight batters and walked three. He eclipsed the 100-strikeout mark on Thursday, becoming the first UM pitcher to reach that mark since Evan McKendry accomplished the feat in 2018.

Palmquist didn’t allow a baserunner until the fourth inning when Ryan Cole broke a scoreless tie with a solo home run, but that was the only hit UM’s starter allowed.

“I fell behind in the count, and that’s what happens when you fall behind in the count. Nothing really good happens from there,” Palmquist said. “After that, I just tried to maintain focus and concentration and not let that one moment dictate what the rest of the game was going to be the outcome of because one run wasn’t going to beat us.”

He got into trouble in the sixth inning when he walked a batter and another reached on an error by first baseman CJ Kayfus, but reliever Alex McFarlane worked out of the jam with three straight strikeouts.

McFarlane pitched two innings of scoreless relief, striking out five batters. Gage Ziehl pitched a scoreless eighth inning. Closer Andrew Walters allowed a three-run home run to Cole with two outs in the ninth, but he quickly retired the next batter to end the game.

“McFarlane came in and just did an outstanding job in that situation, first and second, nobody out,” DiMare said. “Got three strikeouts and, of course, got us another inning and was able to get to the last two guys. They weren’t their sharpest, but we were able to get the job done.”

The win puts the Hurricanes closer to securing their first ACC regular-season title since 2016. If UM sweeps the series against Notre Dame, they clinch the regular-season championship.

“We don’t really pay attention to any other team,” Morales said. “We know we have to win and what we have to do.”