Maine Improves to 8-2

CORAL GABLES, Fla. -- Miami lefthanded pitcher Scott Maine took advantage of his new role as the team's Friday night starter earning the victory in a 4-2 win over Wright State in front of 1,440 in attendance. The #24 Hurricanes improved to 30-16 on the season.

LHP Scott Maine (8-2) allowed two runs in 6 2/3 innings pitched while giving up nine hits and walking one.

Coming into the game he was averaging 7.2 strikeouts per nine innings, but he did not strike out a batter in the game.

"It felt good that we got the win, but as far as my stuff was concerned I didn't have it all today," said Maine, who pitched for the first time this season without a protective mask. "I fell behind some hitters and then I had to make my pitches by throwing them over the plate and they hit them to our shortstop or we got an out some how."

"It is a big win for us," Miami head coach Jim Morris said. "Every win is a big right now particularly at the end of the season because everything is coming down to RPI's and rankings."

The Miami bullpen held the Raiders scoreless over the final 2 1/3 innings as RHP Danny Gil and LHP Andrew Lane combined for one scoreless inning before RHP Chris Perez held Wright State without a hit for the remainder of the game as he recorded his 10th save.

Hurricane freshman 1B Yonder Alonso led off the fourth inning with a deep homerun on an inside fastball with two strikes and sent it over the right-field fence to re-gain the lead after Wright State tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the inning.

"I was looking for a pitch to drive because at that time our team kind of felt down," said Alonso, who tied the team-lead in home runs with seven. "We needed a spark in our dugout and I got a good pitch to drive. I pretty much reacted to it."

Miami scored their third and decisive run in the sixth inning on a single by C Eddy Rodriguez scoring CF Jon Jay.

Wright State starting pitcher Robert Barrett (6-2) gave up four runs--two earned-- in 6 1/3 innings while striking out seven batters and throwing 120 pitches.

"I was a little nervous," admitted Barrett, who wanted to attend UM after completing two years at Sacramento City College. "After the first couple of pitches and I got the calls I needed, it wasn't really a big deal."

The Hurricanes took the early lead on a groundout by Jay scoring 2B Jemile Weeks in the first inning.

Miami RHP Carlos Gutierrez (8-5, 3.86 ERA) and Wright State RHP Erich Schanz (3-2, 3.25 ERA) are the probable starters for tomorrow's 7:00 p.m. contest.

Notes: 3B Danny Valencia did not play due to a violation of team rules, but Morris has not decided if he will play the rest of the weekend...IF Gus Menendez started in place of Valencia and batted eighth...SS Roger Tomas is batting .438 in his last four games (7-for-16)...LHP Andrew Lane made his 87th career appearance, which ties him for ninth on the all-time list at UM...Wright State is located in Dayton, Ohio and plays in the Horizon League.