Box Score CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Silas Grinstead smacked a three-run blast but a seventh inning tie went south as Bethune-Cookman dropped a 12-7 score to No. 21 University of Miami Saturday at Mark Light Field at Alex Rodriguez Park.
BCU (16-34) broke open an early tie with two in the third. Brady Van Hook's RBI single scored the game's first run, and Nate Sterijevski's fielder's choice RBI helped build a 2-0 Wildcat lead.
The Hurricanes (33-14) answered quickly with four in the bottom of the inning, all resulting from singles off starter Brady Norris.
UM tacked on two more in the fifth also off a pair of RBI singles and held a four-run lead before BCU's bats exploded.
In the sixth, Joseph Strong laid down a bunt that was overthrown to first and allowed Over Torres to touch home. Then, with Strong aboard and Joe Fernando at third and two outs, Grinstead belted a three-run jack to tie the game. The homer was his first as a Wildcat and first RBI.
Miami regained the lead, 7-6, only to see BCU force another tie. Fernando produced an RBI single to score Sterijevski in the seventh.
Miami took a 12-7 lead in the eighth. With the bases loaded, Tyler Krull's 1-2 pitch was in the dirt and resulted as a run-scoring wild pitch. Then, JP Gates golfed a two-run single to right. Alex Toral added a two-run single.
Norris threw five innings with 10 hits and five earned runs. He struck out six Hurricanes and walked only one.
Seth Lovell (2-4) took the loss with three runs off three hits, four walks, and three strikeouts in two innings. Tyler Krull pitched the eighth with one earned run off two hits, a walk, and a strikeout.
Fernando led the offense with four hits. Strong earned his first career hit with a single.
The finale of the three-game series is set for Sunday at 1 p.m.
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