Miami Loses Regular-Season Finale To Georgia Tech, 12-7
May 20, 2006
ATLANTA – (www.hurricanesports.com) – The No. 16 Miami Hurricanes battled back from a 6-0 deficit but could not contain No. 8 Georgia Tech’s offense late in a 12-7 loss Saturday afternoon at Russ Chandler Stadium. UM fell to 35-19 overall and 17-13 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, while Georgia Tech improved to 42-14 overall and 19-11 in the ACC in the regular-season finale for both teams.
Richard O’Brien Jr. drove in three runs on a home run in the seventh inning for Miami. Danny Valencia, Dennis Raben, Eddy Rodriguez and O’Brien all had two hits apiece for the Hurricanes, who out-hit the Yellow Jackets, 12-11.
Luke Murton homered and drove in four runs, and Wall Crancer went 3-for-5 with three RBI to lead the Yellow Jackets.
Danny Gil (2-2) gave up four runs on four hits in 1.1 innings of relief and was charged with the loss. Brad Rulon (5-0) provided struck out two and gave up one in one inning out of the bullpen to earn the win.
Miami starter Manny Miguelez kept the Yellow Jackets off the base paths until Crancer reached on Raben’s error in left field to lead off the third. Tech took advantage with some small ball, scoring Crancer on consecutive sacrifice bunts by Andy Hawranick and Michael Fisher for a 1-0 lead.
Georgia Tech grabbed a 4-0 lead in the fourth on Murton’s three-run home run to center. Jeff Kindel and Whit Robbins hit consecutive one-out singles before Murton took Miguelez deep on a 2-2 pitch. Crancer hit a bloop single to left-center and Hawranick walked, ending Miguelez’s day in favor of Jon McLean, who finished the inning.
Miami missed on its scoring opportunities early. The Hurricanes left the bases loaded in the second inning and stranded two more runners in the fourth. Tech centerfielder Steven Blackwood robbed Tommy Giles of a home run in the fifth, leaping to pull the ball back from over the fence.
Matt Wieters hit Georgia Tech’s second home run of the game in the fifth for a 6-0 lead. McLean hit Blackwood with the first pitch of the inning before Wieters hit a 3-1 pitch deep to right-center.
Danny Valencia put Miami on the board in the sixth with a leadoff solo shot to left, extending his hitting streak to 15 games in the process. Turner loaded the bases, giving up singles to O’Brien and Raben, and walking Tomas before he was relieved by Tim Ladd. Jemile Weeks bounced a single to left field to drive in O’Brien and Raben and cut the lead to 6-3.
Brad Rulon replaced Ladd following a pair of singles by Valencia and Alonso led off the Hurricane seventh. Rulon appeared to hit O’Brien with a pitch, but O’Brien was called back to the plate by home plate umpire Scott Graham, who ruled that he had leaned into the pitch. O’Brien belted a three-run shot to dead-center to tie the game two pitches later.
Tech retook the lead with four runs in its half of the seventh. Gil hit Blackwood and gave up a one-out bloop single to Wieters. A wild pitch allowed both runners to advance to second and third. Jeff Kindel and Robbins hit back-to-back RBI singles to give the Yellow Jackets an 8-6 lead. Gil walked Murton and was replaced by Andrew Lane. Crancer singled through the left side, scoring Kindel and Robbins to push the lead to 10-6. Miami closer Chris Perez came in to finish the inning.
Giles hit a one-out homer off Wieters in the eighth to trim the lead to 10-7.
Perez hit Murton with the bases loaded in the eighth and was replaced by Ricky Orta with Miami down, 11-7. Wieters scored on Crancer’s grounder to give Georgia Tech a commanding 12-7 advantage.
The Hurricanes will await the outcome of tonight’s Florida State-N.C. State game to see whether or not they are a five or six seed in the ACC Tournament.
# # #
