No. 11 Miami Wins Series Opener over Hokies, 4-1
April 24, 2009
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Sophomore Chris Hernandez won his fifth game and junior closer Kyle Bellamy picked up his ACC-leading 11th save as the 11th-ranked University of Miami baseball team knocked off Virginia Tech, 4-1, in game one of the three game Atlantic Coast Conference set Friday night at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field.
Hernandez (5-3) turned in his best outing of the season, allowing one run on just one hit while walking three and striking out six in 6 1/3 before exiting after getting hit in the face with a come-backer off the bat of Anthony Sosnoskie. Daniel Miranda came on after Hernandez was forced to leave the game and proceeded to toss 1 1/3 scoreless before handing it over to Bellamy with two outs in the eighth. Bellamy pitched the final 1 1/3 scoreless innings, striking out three to record his seventh inning-plus save of the season.
Jason Hagerty, Scott Lawson and Harold Martinez led the Hurricanes (28-13, 12-10 ACC) at the plate. Hagerty finished 2-for-4 with an RBI while Martinez went 2-for-4 and Lawson went 2-for-3. Yasmani Grandal finished 1-for-4 with two RBI and his team-leading 11th home run of the season.
Virginia Tech starter Rhett Ballard (5-3) allowed two runs on six hits while walking four and striking out six in five innings of work in suffering the loss. Jesse Hahn pitched the final three innings and allowed two runs on two hits while walking two and striking out two.
The Hokies (24-16, 9-12 ACC) got on the board first with a single run in the top of the first when Steve Bumbry doubled, stole third and reached home on a wild pitch.
UM scored the only two runs it would need in the bottom of the first. After Lawson led off with a single and stole second, Hagerty hit his team-leading third triple of the season to tie it up, 1-1. Chris Herrmann immediately scored Hagerty with a grounder to second that would prove to be the game-winner, giving UM the one-run lead until the eighth when Grandal smacked a two-run shot to left field to put the `Canes up three heading into the ninth.
The Hurricanes and the Hokies will play game two of the series Saturday night at 7 p.m. Right-hander David Gutierrez (2-4, 3.80 ERA) will take the mound for UM while Virginia Tech will counter with Justin Wright (4-1, 3.45 ERA).
Game Notes
– Jason Hagerty hit his team-leading third triple of the season in the first inning.
– Hagerty now has at least one RBI in 15 of UM’s last 18 games.
– The Hokies did not record a fly ball out against Chris Hernandez in his 6 1/3 innings of work. In addition, Steve Bumbry’s first-inning double was the only ball to leave the infield against Hernandez.
– It marked just the second start in his career that Hernandez held his opponent to just one hit. The only other time it happened came in six innings of work in a 23-2 win over Wake Forest, March 23, 2008.
– Yasmani Grandal hit his team-leading 11th homer of the season in the bottom of the eighth inning.
-Miami recorded its first two-hitter since May 3, 2008 against St. Mary’s (Calif.).
– With singles in the second and eighth innings, Harold Martinez produced his team-leading 14th multi-hit game of the season. Scott Lawson had two hits of his own, raising his team-leading batting average to .345.
– UM played in front of another capacity crowd as 3,000 fans watched the Hurricanes beat the Hokies.
– Kyle Bellamy’s inning-plus save was his seventh of the season.
