CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Rutgers baseball took an early 2-0 lead and the bullpen held the game close late, but the Scarlet Knights could not overcome a seven-run rally by No. 9 Miami in an 8-5 loss Saturday at Alex Rodriguez Park. It was the second game of a three-game series to start the season and lasted three hours, 56 minutes.
 
The bullpen combined to pitch 5.1 innings of relief with only one run allowed. Redshirt junior Ryan Wares highlighted the effort by retiring all seven batters faced, stranding two inherited runners in scoring position. Sophomore Kyle Gerace logged three innings as the first in and fanned four.
 
Offensively, eight players combined for eight hits and the lineup drew nine walks. Redshirt freshman Dan DiGeorgio picked up his first collegiate hits by going 2-for-3 with a walk, two runs scored and a stolen base, while junior Nick Matera was also on three times via two walks and a double. He joined junior Carmen Sclafani and fifth-year senior Chris Folinusz with an RBI. However, the Scarlet Knights (0-2) left 12 runners on base.
 
Freshman Mike Nyisztor started the game with a single up the middle and scored three batters later after junior Jawuan Harris, Matera and Folinusz all walked consecutively. Then in the second, DiGeorgio eyed a one-out walk. The second baseman then stole second and ran all the way to third on the same play after the pitch went to the screen. Nyisztor later reached on a hit by pitch and was caught in a rundown between first and second long enough to give DiGeorgio time to sprint home to make it 2-0.
 
Conversely, the Hurricanes (2-0) rallied for seven runs on five hits in the bottom of the third to take the lead. That included a three-run homer by Alex Toral.
 
The Scarlet Knights chipped back on a pair of doubles in the fifth. Matera roped a bullet in the left-center gap and scored with two outs when Sclafani ripped an RBI hit to right-center.
 
Miami plated one in the bottom half of the fifth, but Rutgers responded with two in the sixth to make it a three-run game. Junior Luke Bowerbank worked a one-out walk, with DiGeorgio following with a line drive up the middle for his first hit. Senior Milo Freeman would next walk to load the bases, as Bowerbank came in on a wild pitch. Harris then lifted a sacrifice fly with two strikes to bring home DiGeorgio.
 
The visitors put two on in both the eighth and ninth innings, but Andrew Cabezas recorded the final five outs for the save. Cooper Hammond was credited the win out of the bullpen for UM, pitching 1.2 innings. Junior Serafino Brito (0-1) took the loss.
 
The series finale is Sunday at 1 p.m. Freshman Harry Rutkowski is slated to make his debut with the start on the mound.
 
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