Baseball Drops Rubber Match to Wake 9-3
|
27-24 • 8-18 ACC |
Wisnton-Salem, N.C. • Gene Hooks Field |
3 33-20 • 12-15 ACC |
| Pitching Stats | |||
 |
W | N. Spezial (6-0) | |
| L | J. Salas (5-5) | ||
| Batting Stats | |||
| 2B | |||
| Hernandez | |||
|
Armour, Shambley 2 | ||
| HR | |||
| Kennedy, Thompson | |||
|
Blair, Rhine, Williams | ||
| RBI | |||
| Hernandez, Kennedy, Thompson | |||
|
Blair 2, Conway, Rhine, Shambley 3, Williams | ||
May 12, 2013
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — The Miami Hurricanes received their second multi-homerun game of the weekend, but were unable to capture Sunday’s rubber match, falling to homestanding Wake Forest by a final margin of 9-3.
After falling Saturday in walk-off fashion, the Hurricanes (33-20, 12-15 ACC) yielded six runs in the bottom of the eighth to send the Demon Deacons to the series victory. A poorly-fielded bunt from junior Brad Fieger resulted in the go-ahead run, while Wake Forest tacked on four more runs on RBI doubles from Pat Blair and Mark Rhine to clinch the rubber match.
Despite the outcome, some of the youngest Canes continued their impressive stretch at Gene Hooks Field, as freshman slugger David Thompson and sophomore catcher Garrett Kennedy both homered in the loss.
Thompson put Miami ahead on a solo shot in the second inning. The Miami, Fla., native, who also homered in Friday’s 8-3 win, lined a 0-1 pitch from Wake Forest starter Matt Pirro over the fence in left to send the Hurricanes to the early 1-0 advantage.
Wake Forest would respond in the third, as Andrew Williams connected for a solo shot of his own off sophomore Andrew Suarez with one out in third. The southpaw worked himself into a jam after the homerun, allowing a walk and double to set up another scoring chance for the Demon Deacons. Suarez did well to avoid any further damage, however, inducing a groundout to third base to end the inning.
Miami regained a one-run advantage in the top of the fifth, and another freshman served as the catalyst. Shortstop Brandon Lopez, who drove in all four of Miami’s runs in game two, connected on an infield single to lead off the inning and took second on a sacrifice bunt from Dale Carey. With two outs in the inning, junior second baseman Alex Hernandez roped a ground rule double into the right-center gap that bounced over the outfield wall, plating Lopez for the 2-1 lead.
The Hurricanes’ lead quickly evaporated, as Wake Forest responded with two runs in the bottom of the frame to take a 3-2 advantage. Suarez was chased out of the game in the frame, departing after just 4.1 innings. An RBI groundout from Matt Conway off senior rigthhander Eric Whaley gave Wake its first lead of the game.
Kennedy knotted the game up at 3-3 with his second homerun of the season, belting a pitch from Pirro well over the rightfield wall to tie the game in the top half of the sixth.
The Hurricanes worked themselves into a jam in the eighth, as junior Javi Salas (5-5) allowed the first two baserunners of the inning to reach. On an attempted sacrifice bunt, junior Brad Fieger’s throw made its way past a covering Hernandez to plate a run from second. The Demon Deacons blew the game open late on RBI doubles from Blair and Rhine, while Miami came up empty in the top of the ninth.
Miami will return to Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field for their final series of the regular season against Georgia Tech. First pitch for Thursday’s series opener is set for 7 p.m.
