Late Rally Cut Short as Canes Fall 7-4

Box Score | Season Statistics

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – No. 21 Miami wrapped up its series with No. 22 Virginia in disappointing fashion on Monday night, dropping the series finale to the Cavaliers by a final score of 7-4.

It was a tough finish for Miami on another rainy night as Alex Rodriguez Park, as the team struggled to develop any offensive or defensive rhythm against Cavaliers’ righthander Artie Lewicki (3-2). The Hurricanes had only two hits through six innings of work, and registered a crushing five errors that led to two unearned runs for the Wahoos.

Though he was scheduled to pitch on Monday night, junior righthander Eric Whaley was scratched due to flu-like symptoms only a brief time before first pitch. Freshman lefthander Chris Diaz (0-1) took his place on the mound, but struggled in his three innings of work. The Miami, Fla. native allowed five hits and four runs, three of them earned, while striking out one batter.

The Cavaliers struck for three runs in the top of the second inning, sending seven batters to the plate in a frame powered by a two-RBI single from Mitchell Shifflett. The Cavs would tack on another run in the third on an RBI single from Jared King, as Virginia jumped out to a 4-0 lead they would not relinquish.

Miami trimmed the Virginia lead to 4-1 in the bottom of the fourth, as a single from Brad Fieger gave the Hurricanes their first hit of the day. The RBI baseknock off the end of the bat landed its way in front of Cavaliers leftfielder Derek Fisher, plating Tyler Palmer who was hit by a pitch from Lewicki to open the inning.

A big three-run inning for Virginia helped the Cavaliers regain a commanding lead in the sixth. Chris Taylor’s fifth triple of the year plated Keith Werman, who had reached earlier in the inning on a throwing error from freshman shortstop Jarred Mederos. Two more runs would plate on back-to-back RBI singles from Stephen Bruno and Fisher, upping the Cavaliers’ lead to 7-1.

Tyler Palmer’s solo shot in the sixth inning would cut the Virginia lead to 7-2, but Miami couldn’t progress much further due to strong pitching from Lewicki and relief ace Kyle Crockett, who threw two innings and allowed no earned runs with three strikeouts. After a wild pitch plated Stephen Perez and an RBI groundout from Michael Broad gave the Hurricanes two runs in the ninth, the late rally was cut short on back-to-back outs from Austin Young, who finished off the Miami bats and sent Virginia to a series sweep.