Philadelphia, PA – The second-seed Miami-Florida Hurricanes didn't have much trouble in the first game of the weekend at the Louisville Regional as they posted a 7-0 win over the third-seed Oklahoma State Cowboys.
Garrett Kennedy was the star for Miami (37-23) as the catcher went 3-for-4 and smacked a three-run home run while also scoring a pair of runs. Tyler Palmer was 3-for-4 as well for the Hurricanes while Chris Diaz scattered three hits and five walks while striking out 10 in seven shutout innings to get the win.
Randy McCurry went 2-for-4 to account for half of Oklahoma State's (39-18) four total hits. Jason Hursh was responsible for the loss after allowing five runs, three of which were earned, in 4 1/3 innings.
Coco Johnson and Jeff Gardner were impressive in the middle of the order for Louisville which rolled to an 8-3 victory in the second game of the regional over Bowling Green.
Johnson went 3-for-4 with two home runs and three RBI while Gardner was 3- for-4 with a double and a triple and three RBI for Louisville. Chad Green allowed three runs on five hits in seven innings to earn the win.
Jeremy Shay went 2-for-4 as the only batter for Bowling Green with more than one hit. Mike Frank took the loss by allowing five earned runs on eight hits in five innings.
On Saturday Oklahoma State and Bowling Green will meet up in the loser's bracket while Miami and Louisville will play later in the day in the winner's bracket. The winner of the Oklahoma State/Bowling Green contest will face the loser between Miami and Louisville on Sunday for a spot in the regional final. The loser of the Oklahoma State/Bowling Green contest on Saturday will be eliminated from the tournament.
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