MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – As west coast rap artist Ice Cube once said in verse: "today was a good day".
Good still may be underselling the kind of day Florida Memorial University's baseball team had Friday, as the Lions set new season-highs in multiple categories during their 19-3 rout of visiting NCAA Division-II opponent Chestnut Hill College at Harry T. Moore Field.
FMU set a new mark for most runs scored in a game this season while peppering the Chestnut Hill pitchers for a season-best 15 hits Friday, in what was the opening game of a three-game weekend series with the Griffins, while also hitting a 2020-best three home runs in the game.
The Lions (5-11) also set new season-highs in RBI (16) and total at bats (37).
Lead-off man
Rohandry Javier hit Florida Memorial's first homer of the day in the first at bat of the bottom of the first inning – deep shot over the right field fence, while the other two came on consecutive at bats in the fifth inning when
Yunior Sanchez cleared the bases with a deep three-run shot then
Jouseph Renovales "touched them all" with a deep shot over the centerfield fence – which put FMU up 15-3.
Chestnut Hill (3-3), which will face the Lions again Saturday in a doubleheader set to begin at 12 noon, did jump out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first; but Florida Memorial went on to score what would be 19 unanswered runs throughout the final eight innings.
Jose Santana and Sanchez tied for the game-high three hits Friday. Santana was 3-for-6 at the plate with three RBI and two runs scored while Sanchez was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and six RBI. Lions catcher
Josue Sanchez was 2-for-4 on the day with three runs scored and a pair of RBI as 10 different FMU players recorded hits Friday.
Aside from the huge offensive day, FMU got a solid pitching day from senior
Krystian Negron. The 6-foot-3 righty pitched a complete game, giving up five hits and striking out 10 batters – including striking out the side in the eighth inning.
For all that went right for the Florida Memorial, the play of the day that had everyone buzzing wasn't one of the homers, it was a defensive play by freshman outfielder
Malik Shinozaki. Chestnut Hill's Corbin Dunnuck hit a fly ball deep in left field, the "Magic Man" took off in a full sprint about 80 feet and made a "web gem" type catch – securing the ball with the top side of his glove over his right shoulder.
FMU improved its all-time record against the Griffins to 6-2 with the lopsided victory Friday, taking down the Pennsylvania D-II school for the fifth consecutive time.
