CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Junior Luke Bowerbank came through with a two-out RBI single to give Rutgers baseball the lead in the second inning, but No. 9 Miami responded with three runs in the bottom of the inning on the way to a 7-1 win on Opening Day at Alex Rodriguez Park. It was the ninth time in the last 10 years that the Scarlet Knights and Hurricanes met in the season opener on the diamond.
 
Each team collected six hits in the game, with six different players in the RU (0-1) lineup recording a knock. Junior Jawuan Harris and sophomore Kevin Welsh also walked to reach base safely twice, while freshman Mike Nyisztor gathered his first collegiate hit.
 
On the mound, senior John O'Reilly (0-1) made his 36^th career start and began with a perfect first before taking the loss. Sophomore Eric Reardon followed up in relief and logged three innings with three strikeouts and one hit allowed, while redshirt sophomore Tommy Genuario worked two perfect frames in his debut as a pitcher. The right-hander also punched out three to bring the staff total up to nine on the night.
 
Junior Carmen Sclafani started the rally in the second inning with a one-out single, the first hit of the season for the Scarlet Knights. After an out, Welsh lined a single down the right field line to put runners at the corners. That brought up Bowerbank, who attacked the first pitch for an RBI single up the middle.
 
However, Miami (1-0) responded with a leadoff double in the bottom of the inning and went on to plate three. Danny Reyes would then hit a two-run home run in the third and two more crossed in the fourth to make it a six-run deficit.
 
Reardon and Genuario did not allow a run out of the bullpen to keep the game within striking range. RU loaded the bases in the seventh, but came away empty.
 
Jeb Bargdelft (1-0) was credited with the win after pitching five innings for the home team with five strikeouts and one run permitted.
 
Game two of the series is set for Saturday at 7 p.m. and will broadcast on WatchESPN. Junior Serafino Brito is scheduled to make the start for Rutgers.
 
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