Morales hits 3 home runs as Hurricanes beat Canisius in regional opener

Yohandy Morales went 4-for-4 with three home runs and five RBIs, Jacob Burke hit a solo shot and No. 7 overall seed Miami beat Canisius 11-6 on Saturday night at the Coral Gables regional.

Miami (39-18), the No. 7 overall seed, plays the winner between Mississippi and Arizona in the semifinals later Saturday and Canisius plays the other in a loser-out game Sunday morning.

Morales gave Miami the lead for good with his third home run, a two-run shot to straightaway center that sparked a four-run seventh and made it 8-4. He reached base for the fifth time in five plate appearances with a walk, loading the bases in the eighth and later scoring on Zach Levenson's two-run single for an 11-5 lead.

Canisius (29-23) had its six-game win streak snapped. Mike DeStefano went 3-for-4 with a walk, an RBI and two runs scored for the Golden Griffins. Mike Steffan was 3-for-5 with a double and two RBIs and Trevor Henneman hit a solo homer.

CJ Kayfus, Burke, Levenson and Dorian Gonzalez Jr. had two hits apiece for the Hurricanes. Levenson and Gonzalez each added two RBIs.

The game — the first between the programs and the regional opener — originally was scheduled for noon Friday but was twice pushed back due to tropical conditions in the area.

Associated Press Content 2022