No. 2 Miami Drops Second Straight to No. 3 Georgia Tech, 6-4
March 28, 2009
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The second-ranked University of Miami baseball team dropped its first series of the season Saturday night, falling 6-4 to No. 3 Georgia Tech in front of 3,197 at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field.
Miami (19-7, 7-4 ACC) starter David Gutierrez (2-2) suffered his second straight loss, allowing three runs in five innings. Gutierrez, who gave up his first two homers of the season, struck out four and walked two on the night.
Homeruns did the Hurricanes in for the second consecutive night as Georgia Tech (18-3, 8-1 ACC) hit three, totaling five of their six runs. Tech’s Zach Von Tersch (5-1) also threw five innings, surrendering two runs while striking out seven.
First-baseman Jason Hagerty went 3-for-4 on the night, scoring one run with an RBI and two stolen bases. Scott Lawson went 2-for-3 with two walks, an RBI and two runs scored.
With the score tied 1-1 after four, Georgia Tech plated two runs in the fifth and would not relinquish the lead the rest of the night.
The Hurricanes once again got on the board first, plating a single run in the bottom of the second. Hagerty led off the frame with a single up the middle and after stealing second and reaching third on a groundout, scored on a wild pitch by Von Tersch to put UM up 1-0.
Tony Plagman hit a solo home run in the fourth to tie it up at 1-1, before a two-run homer by Derek Dietrich in the fifth put the Jackets up two.
UM added a run in the bottom of the sixth scoring on a balk that was charged to Tech’s Zach Brewster. Miami was able to put their first two batters on in that inning. Lawson doubled to leadoff the inning before Ted Blackman walked. Two batters later, Hagerty reached on a fielder’s choice advancing Lawson to third which set up the balk narrowing the Georgia Tech lead to 3-2.
A third homerun of the night put Georgia Tech up 5-2 in the eighth. Luke Murton hit the two-run homer off Taylor Wulf, the first homerun allowed by Wulf as a Hurricane.
After UM added a run in the eighth and Tech put up another in the ninth, the Hurricanes entered the bottom of the ninth down three. Melendres singled to lead off the inning before Martinez walked to put runners on first and second with no out. Tech closer Mark Pope was able to get the next two batters out before Lawson doubled to centerfield, scoring Melendres to cut the deficit to two but the `Canes were unable to get any more home, falling 6-4.
Daniel Miranda tossed two scoreless innings in relief of Gutierrez while Wulf and Kyle Bellamy combined to give up Tech’s last three runs.
The Hurricanes and Yellow Jackets wrap up their three-game series Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. at Alex Rodriguez Park. It will be a battle of undefeated pitchers as Miami will send LHP Iden Nazario (2-0) to the mound to face off against RHP Georgia Tech’s Kevin Jacob (4-0).
Game Notes-Chris Herrmann snapped a team-high current hitting streak of nine games, going 0-for-4 on the night.
-Miami got on the board first for the fifth straight game. Miami is now 9-3 when scoring first and 10-4 when the opponent does.
-The Hurricanes lost back-to-back games for the first time this year. It was also the first time since May 16-17, 2008 against North Carolina, UM’s only back-to-back losses of last season.
-Georgia Tech had their leadoff man reach base in four of the first five innings.
-Miami scored their first two runs on defensive mistakes by Yellow Jackets pitchers, plating runs on a wild pitch and a balk.
-Taylor Wulf surrendered a home run for the first time in his career in the eighth inning.
