Box Score

CORAL GABLES, Fla. - Redshirt junior Kyle Driscoll (Toms River, N.J.) allowed just one run over five innings on the mound, but Rutgers baseball could not get the bats going offensively in a 2-0 loss Saturday to No. 4 Miami at Alex Rodriguez Park. It was the middle game of a three-game series to start the season.

Making his 15th career start on his birthday, Driscoll (0-1) struck out four and stranded six runners on base in his first outing of the year. He scattered five hits and surrendered just the one run in his last frame of work. The right-hander is up to 89 career strikeouts over 94.2 innings of work for the Scarlet Knights.

Following up out of the bullpen, freshman Dante Scafidi (Washington Township, N.J.) showed potential in his collegiate debut with no earned runs permitted over 2.2 innings. The left-hander punched out three hitters. Senior Reed Shuttle (Lansdale, Pa.) entered with bases loaded, one out and escaped with no inherited runners scoring by picking up a strikeout and fly out.

Offensively, junior Gaby Rosa (Perth Amboy, N.J.) went 2-for-3 at the plate for his second career multiple-hit game, as the other instance also happened at Miami last season. Senior R.J. Devish (Beachwood, N.J.) contributed a single and a stolen base, while sophomore Milo Freeman (Millburn, N.J.) added a single.

The crowd of 3,047 witnessed an early pitcher's duel between Driscoll and the Hurricanes' Michael Mediavilla. The Scarlet Knights (0-2) had a chance in the third when Devish was hit by pitch and Freeman came up with two outs. The designated hitter launched a high drive to left that had the distance to clear the fence, but the home plate umpire ruled the ball foul when judging against the foul pole.

In the fifth, Miami (2-0) broke through for the first run of the game. Romy Gonzalez connected for a leadoff double, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a single to center by Carl Chester. RU was able to limit the damage one batter later when Christopher Barr singled, but rounded the base too far to create a rundown. Chester attempted to bolt for home, but sophomore Kyle Walker (Piscataway, N.J.) realized from first base and threw home for the out.

Freeman hit a leadoff single in the seventh and moved up to third following a sacrifice bunt and groundout. That would be all, as he was stranded there.

UM tacked on an unearned run in the bottom of the eighth to set the final score. Mediavilla (1-0) earned the win with six shutout innings and Bryan Garcia collected his second save with a perfect ninth inning.

Rutgers will look to salvage the series finale set for Sunday at noon at Alex Rodriguez Park on ESPN3. Sophomore John O'Reilly (Northvale, N.J.) is slated to make the start for the Scarlet Knights.

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