CORAL GABLES, Fla. — As it has done all year, Miami mashed.

The top-seeded Hurricanes hammered three home runs and left no doubt against fourth-seeded Maine at Mark Light Field.

No. 1 seed Miami jumped out to an early lead and cruised to a 9-1 win in its NCAA Coral Gables Regional opener Friday night.

Sparked by sophomore Edgardo Villegas and junior Yohandy Morales, the Hurricanes (41-19) put up a seven-spot across the first two innings.

Villegas’ two-run shot broke the ice in the first before Morales’ three-run homer in the second punctuated the early 7-0 advantage over the Black Bears (32-20).

Morales’ 17th homer of the season marked his 46th career blast, pushing the Miami native into fourth place in program history.

The seven-run cushion was more than enough for Miami starter Gage Ziehl (8-4).

Ziehl limited the potent Black Bears’ offense to one unearned run across six innings. The right-hander punched out seven of the first 10 batters he faced, reaching triple-digit strikeouts for the season.

Junior right fielder Zach Levenson launched a two-run jack in the seventh to cap off the nine-run outburst.

With the win, the Hurricanes will face second-seeded Texas Saturday. The first pitch is set for 6 p.m. at Mark Light Field.

Courtesy of Josh White of Miami Athletics

Photo courtesy of Miami Athletics