Miami Defeats NC State, 11-5, To Advance To College World Series
June 8, 2003
Get Your Baseball Gear Online Now!
Box Score|Quotes|Notes|Photo Gallery
Coral Gables, Fla. – The Miami Hurricanes used small ball and the long ball to carve out a 11-5 victory in 11 innings over the North Carolina State Wolfpack to earn a trip to the College World Series before a crowd of 4,964 Sunday in the NCAA Baseball Tournament’s Coral Gables Super Regional at Mark Light Field on the University of Miami campus.
Tied at 5-5 in the 11th inning, Miami took advantage of a throwing error to take the lead and put the game away with a grand slam home run by catcher Eric San Pedro to take an insurmountable six-run lead and clinch Miami’s 20th CWS berth. Miami (44-15-1), which has won four national championships (1982, 1985, 1999 and 2001), will be making its eighth trip to Omaha in 10 seasons under head coach Jim Morris. N.C. State finished the season at 45-18.
Miami reliever Shawn Valdes-Fauli (5-0) picked up the victory for Miami, pitching four and one-thirds innings (the longest outing of his career). He allowed six hits, one earned run, walked on batter and struck out five batters. He retired Joe Gaetti on a foul pop to first baseman Jim Burt Jr. to end the game and clinch the CWS berth for the Hurricanes. Chad Orvella (2-3), who started the game at shortstop for N.C. State, was credited with the loss as he worked the crucial 11th inning.
The Wolfpack gamely fought back from deficits twice, including a one-run hole in the bottom of the tenth, but could not get the upper hand as Miami put it away with a big inning in the top of the 11th.
Orvella took the mound for the Wolfpack and Ryan Braun led off for Miami by legging out an infield hit to shortstop. Brian Barton’s grounder to shortstop was bobbled by Matt Camp, allowing Braun to reach second with no outs. Jim Burt Jr.’s sacrifice bunt moved Braun to third and Barton to second. Orvella fielded the bunt at the third base line and threw wildly to first, scoring Braun and moving Barton to third with Burt moving to second. Batting with 6-5 Miami lead and no outs, Gaby Sanchez was intentionally walked by Orvella to load the bases. With one out, Eric San Pedro slugged a 2-1 pitch over the left-center field wall for a grand slam and a 10-5 Miami lead. Miami extended the lead when Adam Ricks singled to right, scoring Danny Figueroa who had walked and stole second, for an 11-5 lead.
Miami starter Brandon Camardese quietly cruised through the first four innings without allowing a hit before Orvella reached on an infield single to start the fifth. He worked into the sixth before departing. Camardese officially worked five innings, allowing only one hit and two earned runs, striking out four and walking four. Camardese gave way to reliever George Huguet, who made his first appearance since May 17. Huguet, who had missed action with a broken hand, entered a bases loaded jam with no outs in the sixth and allowed one runner to score before working the Hurricanes out of the threat.
N.C. State starter Vern Sterry was masterful for the first three innings, striking out eight while scattering three hits. He exited after pitching four innings and was credited with four earned runs on five hits, striking out nine and walking five. Miami mounted a threat in the third that Sterry worked out of. With one out, Ricks walked. After Braun flied out to first, Barton singled to the gap in left-center to move Ricks to third. With two out, Barton stole second but Sterry struck out Burt looking to end the threat.
Sterry began to struggle with his control and the Hurricanes took advantage by using small ball tactics to build a 4-0 lead. Sanchez doubled to left, Joey Hooft singled to left (moving Sanchez to third), and San Pedro walked to load the bases with no out. With Richard Giannotti batting, a wild pitch by Sterry scored Sanchez for a 1-0 UM lead and advanced Hoof to third and San Pedro to second. Giannotti then walked to re-load the bases for Figueroa, who flied to center to score Hooft for a 2-0 Miami lead. With one out and runners at second and third, Ricks grounded to second to score San Pedro to extend the lead to 3-0. With two outs and Giannotti at third and Braun at bat, Sterry threw a wild pitch and Giannotti scored for a 4-0 Miami lead. Sterry then struck out Braun to end the inning.
N.C. State battled back in the fifth. Orvella singled to third, Justin Riley was hit by a pitch and Colt Morton walked to load the bases with no outs. Gaetti flied to the warning track in left field to score Orvella to cut the margin to 4-1. With two outs and Tim Coffield at the plate, Camardese balked to advance Riley to third and Morton to second. Camardese regained his composure and struck out Coffield to end the inning with the Hurricanes holding a 4-1 lead.
The Wolfpack loaded the bases with no outs in the sixth. Orvella led off with a base on balls and moved to second when Riley was hit by a pitch. Morton loaded the bases with a base on balls, exiting Camardese and bringing on Huguet, Miami’s bullpen ace who had not played in three weeks. Huguet struck out Gaetti, and then allowed an RBI single by Dustin Knight that scored Orvella, but Hooft’s throw to the plate from left field nailed Riley for the second out with San Pedro blocking the plate. With two outs and Miami leading, 4-2, Lee Mezistrano pinch hit for designated hitter Coffield. Huguet retired Mezistrano on one pitch with a grounder to first to end the inning with Miami protecting a 4-2 lead.
The Wolfpack tied it in the seventh, scoring two runs on one hit, two hit batsmen and two walks. With one out, Adam Hargrave walked, but was retired at second on a fielder’s choice grounder to second by Camp. With two outs, Orvella hit a bloop single to shallow right field to move Camp to third. Riley was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Morton who faced Valdes-Faulli, on in relief of Huguet. Morton walked on a 3-2 pitch, scoring Camp to pull N.C. State within 4-3. The game became tied at 4-4 when Gaetti was hit by a pitch, the fifth hit batsmen by Miami pitching, forcing in Orvella with the tying run. Valdes-Fauli coaxed Knight to chase a ball low and away for an inning-ending strikeout.
In the tenth, Miami edged ahead. With one out, Sanchez walked and San Pedro hit into a fielder’s choice to advance Sanchez to second. With two outs, Giannotti walked and Figueroa singled to center on a 2-2 pitch to score Sanchez for a 5-4 lead.
The Wolfpack refused to go quietly in the tenth, tying the game with some clutch hitting. Gaetti led off with an infield single on a bunt to third. Conor Clougherty, pinch-hitting for Knight, advanced Gaetti to second with a sacrifice bunt for the first out. With two outs, Maynor blooped a single to left field and Gaetti narrowly beat Hooft’s throw to the plate to tie the game at 5-5. Maynor moved to second on the throw to the plate. Valdes-Fauli got Hargrave looking to end the inning and extend the game, setting up the final stanza.
