Freshmen help UM knock off Bethune

A pair of freshmen delivered when their team needed them most, as Jordan Lala and Anthony Vilar drove in five runs to help No. 21 Miami beat Bethune-Cookman 9-3 late Friday night.

After scoring just seven runs over three games last weekend, the Hurricanes (32-14) scored seven unanswered runs over the final five innings to put the game out of reach from the Wildcats (16-33) and win their fifth consecutive game,

Although the final score didn’t show it, Friday’s game got started as a pitcher’s duel. The start of the series opener was delayed by 47 minutes due to inclement weather, but the late start did not affect either starting pitcher early on. Bethune-Cookman’s Anthony Maldonado retired eight of the first nine Canes he faced, and Gabe Rivera only reached base after a wild pitch on a third strike.

Lala, who was hitless in his last 14 at-bats, snapped out of his slump with one big swing in the bottom of the third.

The freshman destroyed a full-count offering from Maldonado that hit off the parking garage in right field for a two-run homer.

Miami starter Brian Van Belle, who tossed 8 1⁄ score

3 less innings last Saturday in a win over Virginia Tech, retired the first 12 Wildcats he faced before hitting Over Torres with a pitch to open the top of the fifth. Three pitches later, Chase DeBonis doubled to left and drove in Torres. BethuneCookman continued to rally against the Canes’ starter, posting three runs on three hits in the fifth to take a 3-2 lead.

The Canes picked up their starting pitcher in the bottom half of the fifth, as Vilar ripped a two-out, two-run single with the bases loaded that put the Hurricanes back on top, 4-3. The freshman infielder entered Friday’s game with two hits in his last 22 at-bats, but he was a huge contributor in Friday’s victory.