Pitching, remarkable 9th-inning play help Miami Hurricanes edge Rutgers in season opener

After all the preseason hype about the University of Miami’s stellar hitters, it was the Hurricanes’ right-handed ace who carried opening night Friday at Mark Light Field.

Brian Van Belle (10-2, 3.30 ERA in 2019) a rare fifth-year senior in college baseball, picked up where he left off last season, striking out a career-high 10 batters in six shutout innings and allowing only four hits as Miami defeated Rutgers 2-1.

Canes closer Daniel Federman earned a four-out save, but only after walking leadoff batter Sam Owens in the ninth to set up a spectacular double play orchestrated by UM second baseman Tyler Paige. Paige glove-flipped the ball backhanded to shortstop Anthony Vilar, who fired to first to get the out. A routine grounder to first ended the game.

“I got goosebumps when the whole crowd was going crazy,’’ catcher Adrian Del Castillo, responsible for knocking in both of UM’s runs, said of Paige’s potential game-saving play. “It was awesome. It was a crazy play. I’ve never seen anything like that. Hopefully it’s in the top 10.”

Miami’s four pitchers combined for 14 strikeouts.

“It felt good to get the first one under my belt,’’ said Van Belle, who credited his changeup with helping him the most. “But obviously it was a team win. And hats off to Tyler Paige in the ninth inning with a nasty play...”

UM coach Gino DiMare knows his players will have to score more runs against teams in UM’s Atlantic Coast Conference, but he noted that learning to finish close games is also valuable.

‘In the fire’

“Right out of the gate in the fire,’’ DiMare said. “Had to go to our setup guy, to our closer... For me, I thought it was great to get thrown right into it and get a taste of that, and our guys are going to have to learn to win games like that. One of the things we didn’t do last year was finish games — especially a lot of games where we had leads and leads early. We finished tonight.

If you pitch and play good defense, it takes a lot of pressure off of your team – and certainly on the offensive side.”

The temperature just before the first pitch in Coral Gables: 78 degrees, which felt like 79. The temperature in New Brunswick, New Jersey, home of the Scarlet Knights: 26 degrees, which felt like 16. But the dramatic climate change didn’t seemed to deter Rutgers much.

Bases loaded shot

Miami opened its 2020 scoring in the third inning after Anthony Vilar and JP Gates singled, Tony Jenkins walked and Del Castillo lined his 2-RBI shot up the middle.

UM’s seven singles and one double were spread among eight players.

“It was pretty close,’’ Del Castillo said. “But like our motto, we have to finish. Those game are going to happen and we’re going to have to overcome them and win.

“We have to sharpen our baserunning a little bit,’’ he added, referring to three runners getting caught stealing — two of them picked off.

The Hurricanes finished 41-20 last year and were ranked as high as No. 3 in the preseason, but they made it a nail-biter after senior reliever Tyler Keysor gave up a leadoff home run to the Scarlet Knights’ Chris Brito in the eighth. Keysor then got a strikeout, but was replaced with left-handed JP Gates after he walked Victor Valderrama.

Gates struck out Richie Schiekofer, and was immediately replaced with Federman, who hit the first batter he faced before getting Danny DiGeorgio to ground out to end the eighth.

The Canes took a bit to get going. They fell 1-2-3 in the first inning and finally got a single in the second, only for Gabe Rivera (single) to be picked off for the third out.

UM’s lineup took a blow on Tuesday when starting shortstop Freddy Zamora, a junior, sustained a season-ending knee injury during practice. Zamora, who started 50 games at shortstop last season, hit .296 with with 12 doubles, six home runs and 46 RBI. He was replaced Friday by sophomore Anthony Vilar, who started 50 games at second base last year and 11 at shortstop, hitting .291, with 12 doubles and five home runs.

In turn, Paige, who was injured most of last year, moved to second base Friday. Paige hit .111 in his 10 games, but became a defensive hero on Friday.