CORAL GABLES, Fla. — The Miami Hurricanes certainly didn’t forget.
After a mid-March loss to UCF, Miami couldn’t wait to play the Knights again.
The sixth-ranked Hurricanes stormed out early and never looked back, outslugging UCF, 16-10, Wednesday evening at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field.
“I’m certainly happy that we won,” Miami head coach Gino DiMare said. “We swung the bat well throughout the lineup, hit a lot of balls hard and hit a lot of balls all over the field. We answered back after they scored early. We did a good job from that standpoint.”
The Hurricanes (36-12, 17-7 ACC) scored 11 runs over the first three innings, highlighted by a five-run first.
After UCF (28-20, 11-7 AAC) pushed across three tallies in the top half, Miami designated hitter Zach Levenson clobbered an opposite-field grand slam to ignite the Hurricanes’ offensive onslaught.
“I was just trying to put together a good at-bat with the bases loaded,” said Levenson, whose sixth homer as a Cane traveled an estimated 400 feet. “I was looking for a mistake and I got one. I was able to put my barrel on it and put it over the fence and help the team get going.”
The next inning, Miami padded its lead.
First baseman CJ Kayfus and left fielder Edgardo Villegas drew back-to-back leadoff walks before third baseman Yohandy Morales packed the sacks with a base hit.
After Kayfus scampered home on a wild pitch, catcher Maxwell Romero Jr. ripped a two-run single up the middle, extending the Hurricanes’ advantage to 8-3.
Second baseman Dorian Gonzalez Jr. pushed Miami’s cushion to six with an RBI single to end the frame.
UCF countered with a run in the third, but the Hurricanes’ bats stayed hot.
In the bottom half, Kayfus laced a 112-mph solo shot over the right-field fence, immediately, responding to the Knights’ tally.
“They were scoring and we’d come right back, match them or even score more,” Kayfus said. “It’s just really contagious when everyone is hitting. It just makes it that much easier.”
Three batters later, Romero Jr. punctuated the early outburst with his second RBI knock in as many trips to the dish
But the junior wasn’t finished.
Romero Jr. drove in his career-high fourth run of the game, recording his third hit of the night in the fifth.
Not to be outdone, Levenson plated his fifth tally of the evening, setting a new personal best in the same inning.
“We need everybody,” Romero Jr. said. “Zach doing what he did that first inning sparked everything. Zach hitting that grand slam was huge. We stayed the course and made the most of the opportunity.”
After four innings from starter Jake Garland, DiMare turned to right-handed reliever Ronaldo Gallo, who controlled the Knights.
Gallo tossed two scoreless and struck out three, earning his second win of the season.
“Ronnie has been the key guy and he’s effective with commanding his fastball,” DiMare said. “His delivery throws the hitters off a little bit. At the end of the day, he goes after hitters. He doesn’t walk guys and he pitches to contact.”
With the victory, the Hurricanes are now 18-1 when registering double-digit runs, notching 10 or more tallies in four of the last five contests.
After picking up their fifth straight win, the Hurricanes head to Tallahassee to face No. 21 Florida State. The annual rivalry series begins at 7 p.m. Friday at Dick Howser Stadium.
“This is a team we’ve played more than any other team in our history,” DiMare said. “We need to make sure we’re ready to play. I have a feeling our guys will be very excited and pumped to go up there and play.”
The Mets said on May 10 that deGrom had started throwing, with GM Billy Eppler specifying that deGrom was “out to 60 feet at light intensity.”
If the news after deGrom’s follow-up MRI is good, the expectation is that he’ll be able to ramp up further.
The news that deGrom was throwing followed positive MRI results on his right shoulder that were revealed on April 25, and the Mets said on the 25th that deGrom would receive a follow-up MRI in approximately three weeks.
At the time, deGrom’s MRI and CT scans showed “considerable healing” of his stress reaction, which led to him being cleared to “begin loading and strengthening of the shoulder.”
DeGrom has been out since April 1 and was transferred to the 60-day IL on May 10 — the same day Eppler said he had started throwing. The 60-day move had no bearing on deGrom’s timeline since he was never returning before the second week of June anyway.
Mar 27, 2022; Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Jacob deGrom (48) throws a pitch in the first inning during spring training against the St. Louis Cardinals at Clover Park.
On March 31, with spring training nearing a close, deGrom reported shoulder tightness. He was placed on the IL the next day, after an initial MRI revealed the injury.
“Most scapula stress fractures that are caught early heal relatively reliably if the player strictly adheres to the rest and rehab protocol,” Deepak Chona, MD, a Stanford-trained orthopedic sports surgeon and founder of SportsMedAnalytics who does not personally treat deGrom, told SNY in April when discussing deGrom’s injury. “Any time there is an extended period off followed by a ramp back up, there is an accompanying risk of overdoing it and having a setback. However, as long as deGrom progresses slowly, you should expect a full recovery of his prior pitching performance with respect to both velocity and control.
“Furthermore, once he’s back, I wouldn’t expect this to act up again midseason. DeGrom at age 33 is not exactly young for an MLB pitcher, but he’s shown the ability to bounce back before. We have no reason to expect this to be much different.”
Golf legend Tom Watson is engaged to marry a longtime CBS Sports executive. The eight-time major champion became formally engaged to LeslieAnne Wade on May 7 while on a visit to the University of Notre Dame, where Ms. Wade was attending a reunion with her college roommates.
The couple plans to marry on July 9 in New Jersey before traveling to the Open Championship in St. Andrews. Ms. Wade confirmed the engagement and wedding date to Golfweek but declined further comment. The pair have known each other for 15 years.
Watson, 72, is a Hall of Famer and 39-time winner on the PGA Tour. His eight major titles include five Open victories, two Masters and a U.S. Open. His late wife, Hilary, died after a two-year battle with pancreatic cancer in 2019.
Ms. Wade has been a widely respected fixture in the golf world for decades. She served as a Senior Vice President of Communications at CBS Sports and currently works with the Endeavor agency and for White Tee Partners, a women-owned marketing agency she co-founded. Her first marriage ended in divorce some years ago.
Watson retired from competitive golf in 2019 after an almost 50-year career during which he won 70 titles and twice captained the United States in the Ryder Cup.
White hit leadoff over the final two games of the weekend series and is up to seven steals over just 38 at bats this season. White is a 28-year-old without much long-term upside but hit well in Triple-A last season, and his current .237 batting average hides a .370 OBP and a 129 wRC+. Moreover, White’s strong defense should lead to a continued everyday role, and Texas is giving the green light, as the Rangers have the third-most SBs this year. Only seven players have more steals than White this season, and all of them have 100+ ABs (White has 38).
Mateo is tied for the MLB lead with 10 steals, so he shouldn’t still be available in so many Yahoo leagues. The new left field dimensions have transformed Camden Yards from arguably the best park in baseball for power into arguably the worst park in baseball for homers, but Mateo possesses “80” speed and should continue to run wild on the base paths. With Adalberto Mondesi out for the season, Mateo has a real chance to lead baseball in steals.
Jorge Mateo should be rostered in more fantasy baseball leagues based on his ability to help in the steals category. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Bruján has struggled badly over a limited MLB sample, but he should get an opportunity now with Manuel Margot and Brandon Lowe on the IL. Bruján swiped 44 bags (with 12 homers) over just 103 games at Triple-A last season, and he had attempted a whopping 11 stolen bases over just 16 games there this year. Moreover, Tampa Bay is leading MLB by a wide margin in SB attempts, as they are the only team in baseball attempting more than one per game. In other words, Bruján’s SB upside is massive, which would be extra helpful in such a scarce category given how many other later speed options like Jonathan Villar, Akil Baddoo, Garrett Hampson and Victor Robles (among others) have been busts.
Senzel is expected to begin a rehab assignment Wednesday and should be back in Cincinnati soon. He’s been a major disappointment with the Reds (and is without a steal this season), but this is still a former No. 2 pick entering his prime with a strong enough minor league resume that THE BAT X projects a .272 BA (109 wRC+) with nine homers and 11 stolen bases over 360 ABs rest of season. Senzel is 2B/OF eligible, swiped 14 bases over just 375 ABs as a rookie (and his Sprint Speed is in the 83rd percentile) and gets to play in the second-best hitter’s park in baseball, so he’s well worth stashing in fantasy leagues.
Velazquez is quietly up to six steals on the year, and his elite defense at shortstop should help keep his bat in LA’s lineup. He swiped 29 bags over just 264 at bats in Triple-A last season, and the Angels are among the league leaders in SBs this season. Velazquez is more of a deep league option, but he’s a middle infielder getting regular playing time who’s running. And his .190 batting average comes with an average exit velocity that’s actually in the 72nd percentile. Velazquez is another option for those desperate for speed.