No. 11 Miami baseball has easy time in series opener vs. Presbyterian, 13-4, with Dominic Pitelli hitting 3 home runs
CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Dominic Pitelli is known for his highlight reel defensive plays. But Friday night at Mark Light Field, the shortstop put on his own home run derby. Pitelli slammed three homers and plated nine runs, guiding the 11th-ranked Miami Hurricanes to a 13-4 victory over Presbyterian.
The junior’s first career multi-homer performance was one to remember, as the Miami native became the first Hurricane with nine RBI since David Thompson in 2015.
With Miami (29-16) ahead of the Blue Hose (18-28), 1-0, in the sixth inning, Pitelli sparked the offensive outburst.
The 5-foot-11, 182-pound sweet-swinging slugger socked a three-run bomb to straightaway center, pushing the Hurricanes ahead, 4-0.
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In the seventh, once again, Pitelli parked one over the fence.
Pitelli powered a two-run blast over the right field wall to balloon Miami’s advantage to 8-0.
But the veteran still wasn’t done.
The Hurricane hero hammered a grand slam to left field, capping off his career day.
On the mound, sophomore ace Gage Ziehl (6-4) recorded a career-high 12 strikeouts across a co-career-long eight scoreless frames. The right-hander retired 20 of the first 23 batters he faced.
Presbyterian hurler Duncan Howard (3-4) surrendered five runs, four earned, on 10 hits across 5 1/3 innings in the defeat.
The Hurricanes and Blue Hose will meet again Saturday at Mark Light Field. First pitch is set for 7 p.m.
