Duke Edges Out No. 6 Miami Saturday Night, 2-0
March 14, 2009
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The sixth-ranked University of Miami baseball team snapped its seven-game winning streak with a 2-0 loss to Duke Saturday night at in front of 2,694 fans at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field.
The Hurricanes (13-3, 4-1 ACC) were shutout for the second time this season as Duke pitchers Andrew Wolcott and Michael Ness combined for the six-hit shutout.
The Blue Devils (10-5, 3-2 ACC) scored a run in the first before adding another in the eighth to give Wolcott and Ness all the support they needed. Wolcott (3-0), who kept UM scoreless in 7 1/3 innings, earned the win in allowing six hits and a walk while striking out five before handing it over to Ness in the seventh. Ness earned his first save, holding UM hitless in the final 1 2/3 innings.
UM starter David Gutierrez (2-1) turned in his fourth straight quality start to open the season, allowing just one run on four hits while walking two and striking out three in seven innings. Travis Miller and Taylor Wulf each tossed an inning in relief, with Miller allowing the Blue Devils second run of the contest.
Nathan Melendres was the lone `Cane to finish with multiple hits, going 2-for-3 with a pair of singles on the night.
Alex Hassan, Jake Lemmerman and Eric Pfisterer all finished 2-for-4 while Hassan scored both of Duke’s runs.
For the fifth straight game, UM’s opponent got on the board first as Duke plated a single run in the top of the first. Hassan, who led off the inning with a double, scored two batters later on an RBI groundout to give the Blue Devils the early lead.
The `Canes best chance to score came in the second when Harold Martinez singled and Dave DiNatale was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second with no outs. Wolcott was able to get out of the jam however, inducing a pop-out, a fielder’s choice grounder and another ground-out to keep UM off the board.
Duke’s eighth-inning run came across on a bases-loaded Jeremy Gould sacrifice fly.
Miami and Duke will wrap up the series Sunday at 12 p.m. Sophomore left-hander Iden Nazario (2-0, 7.26) will go up against Duke right-hander Ryan Knott (1-0, 3.00).
Game Notes
– Miami is now 13-3. Only two past UM teams won more games before suffering its third loss (2008: 27; 1995: 23).
– Ryan Jackson batted lead-off for the second-straight game. (Jackson hit lead-off for the first time in his career Friday night).
– Miami allowed its opponent to score in the first inning for the fourth-straight game.
– Jim Morris lost his first game to Duke as UM’s head coach (12-1).
– The loss snaps a 19 game winning streak against the Blue Devils. Duke’s win.
Saturday was its first over Miami since beating the `Canes, 3-1, on March 28, 1966.
– In all three losses of UM’s losses this season, the opponent has scored first.
– The 2-0 loss marks the first time this season that Miami has held an opponent to two or fewer runs and lost.
