Miami vs Texas A&M - NCAA Regional Baseball Recap

Miami 14, Texas A&M 1 – Miami earns Sunday afternoon / elimination round bye

If Brett Eibner sent a loud message on the first day of the NCAA baseball regionals, Scott Lawson echoed the big bang on day two.  

Yes, on Friday in the first round of the NCAA baseball tournament, Eibner – an Arkansas Razorback standout – cranked three home runs in the Hogs’ romp over Grambling State. Within 30 hours of that feat, a muscleman from Miami matched Eibner’s excellence.  

Scott Lawson went yard on three separate occasions on Saturday evening, leading a Hurricane offense that produced five home runs overall. Miami is swinging a mean set of aluminum sticks right now; a team that roared its way to 12 runs in a Friday dumping of Dartmouth did even better against the Texas A&M Aggies on Saturday at Alex Rodriguez Park.

A 14-run outburst buried the opposing bunch from the Big 12 and sent Miami singing the sweet tune of a team that has bypassed the preliminary elimination stage. The Canes are now assured of being one of the last two teams remaining in the Coral Gables regional. Moreover, they can advance to next weekend’s super regionals even if they lose once to the A&M-Dartmouth winner on Sunday night. Miami could absorb a defeat under such a scenario and come back in what would be a Monday championship game.

There’s no secret as to why the Hurricanes are storming toward a spot in the super regionals. They’re hitting the bejeezus out of the horsehide sphere. Lawson led the way on Saturday, going 4 for 6 with six RBIs. Lawson got help from teammates Chris Pelaez (three RBIs and a homer) and Stephen Perez (4 RBIs and the Canes’ fifth long ball of the evening), as Miami rolled to a 13-0 lead after five innings against beleaguered A&M pitchers Ross Stripling (6-4) and Estevan Uriegas.  

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Stripling, the starter, took the loss for the Aggies after giving up six runs in three innings. Yet, Stripling’s pitching partner, Uriegas, got shelled to an even worse extent, surrendering seven runs in 1 2/3 innings.

While A&M’s pitching staff got cannibalized, Miami’s moundsmen sailed right along. Chris Hernandez (9-3) pitched six shutout innings to get the win. He would have pitched longer, but a rain delay in the seventh inning cut his day short. Travis Miller finished the final three innings and kept A&M in check.  

Two days, 26 runs, and a whole lot of extra-base knocks. If Miami has anything left in the tank come Sunday night against A&M or Dartmouth, the Canes should find themselves in the baseball equivalent of the Sweet 16.

By: Matt Zemek
ACC Fans Senior Staff Writer