MIAMI -- Gift Ngoepe's sixth-inning triple to right field would have gone over the fence in any other stadium other than Marlins Park, Pittsburgh Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said.

Ngoepe, a speedy rookie second baseman from South Africa, settled for his first career triple and, overall, had a 3-for-3 day in Pittsburgh's 12-2 win over the Miami Marlins on Friday night.

"I was telling the ball to go -- to grow some legs and travel," Ngoepe said of his three-bagger. "It could've been the first home run for South Africa. But that will come."

Ngoepe, the first player from anywhere on the African continent to make the major leagues, has only played two games, but he has already made a significant impact, batting .800 (4-for-5).

Given his first major league start on Friday, Ngoepe responded with his first RBI, in the fourth inning, and his aforementioned first triple, two frames later.

Ngoepe, a 27-year-old who made his major league debut on Wednesday, said all of the attention he has received has been overwhelming. But it is starting to sink in.

"A little bit," he said. "I'm starting to piece everything together. I'm having an amazing time. I'm going to run with it and see where it goes."

The Pirates ran away with this game in the second inning, producing an eight-run frame that gave them a 9-0 lead, and that was more than enough.

Catcher Francisco Cervelli provided the biggest blow of the second inning with a three-run, line-drive triple that went under the glove of sliding left fielder Marcell Ozuna. It was just the 11th triple of Cervelli's 10-year big-league career.

Jordy Mercer, Josh Harrison and Andrew McCutchen each drove in two runs to lead the Pirates (10-12).

Miami (10-11), which opened a five-game homestand, lost its third game in a row.

Jameson Taillon (2-0) earned the win despite not having his best sinker.

"At times, I thought it was really good, but at times I thought it was aimed too low to start with," said Hurdle of Taillon, who allowed five hits, two walks and one run in five innings.

"He had to grind this out because he had seven three-ball counts and only 50 percent first-pitch strikes. Only six hitters retired on three pitches or less."

Marlins starter Adam Conley (1-2), who did not allow a run in six innings last year in his only previous appearance against Pittsburgh, saw his ERA rise from 3.00 to 6.86. He lasted just 1 2/3 innings, allowing five hits, three walks, one hit batter and a career-worst nine runs.

"There's no excuse," Conley said. "I didn't locate my fastball. That's a pitch I really could have used tonight."

Marlins manager Don Mattingly said Conley's struggles on Friday had nothing to do with any injury.

"He's alright physically," Mattingly said. "The only other thing you can look at is he had gone seven days without a start. Maybe he got out of his routine."

Pittsburgh opened the scoring on Mercer's one-out solo homer to left. Mercer pulled an outside 1-2 pitch for his second homer of the season.

The Pirates then had their biggest inning since scoring eight on Sept. 15, 2016 against the Phillies.

Conley dug a hole by allowing a single and two walks to load the bases. Harrison drove in a run with an infield single to deep shortstop. Mercer then took a high 3-1 pitch for ball four and an RBI. McCutchen stroked a two-run opposite-field single to right. After Cervelli's triple, Jose Osuna capped the rally with an RBI single.

Cervelli had two hits in the 14-batter inning, including a leadoff single.

Miami scored in the third, using muscle and a bit of luck. Ozuna drilled a triple over the head of right fielder Osuna. Martin Prado cut Pittsburgh's lead to 9-1 on his swinging bunt. Taillon escaped what became a bases-loaded, two-out jam by getting Justin Bour on a line-drive out to first.

The sixth inning provided plenty of excitement for the Pirates as two of their rookies -- Ngoepe and pinch-hitter Alen Hanson -- hit consecutive triples, putting the Pirates up 11-1 at that point.

"It was nice to see Gift and Hanson with their speed out of the box," Hurdle said. "Gift had a very good game tonight."

NOTES: Pirates CF Andrew McCutchen reached base in his 17th consecutive game. ... Puerto Rican native Monica Puig, who won the 2016 Olympic gold medal for women's tennis, threw out the first pitch. Her presence was part of Puerto Rican Heritage Night at Marlins Park. ... This was the first game of a Pirates stretch during which Pittsburgh plays 14 of 17 games on the road. ... The Pirates also play on 17 consecutive days before getting a May 15 day off, their only rest in May. ... Hall of Famer Tony Perez and former Marlins star Jeff Conine were named MLB All-Star Ambassadors. The Marlins will host the All-Star Game on July 11. ... Pirates veteran RHP Ivan Nova, 30, will make his first career start against the Marlins on Saturday. ... Marlins RHP Dan Straily, who will oppose Nova on Saturday, made six appearances against Pittsburgh last season, including five starts, compiling a 2-2 record and a 3.38 ERA.