No. 9 Miami Drops Regular Season Finale to No. 1 Virginia
May 22, 2010
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The ninth-ranked University of Miami baseball team dropped its 2010 regular season finale Saturday afternoon, falling 7-4 to top-ranked Virginia at Alex Rodriguez Park.
The loss dropped Miami to 39-15 overall and 20-10 in Atlantic Coast Conference play while the win improved the Cavaliers’ mark to 45-10 overall and 23-7 in league play. Miami’s 20 league wins were its second-most in the regular season since the `Canes joined the ACC in 2005.
Virginia scored two runs in the first and two more in the second and would never look back. The `Canes scored single runs in the first and fifth and added two more in the eighth but missed several opportunities to come the whole way back after the `Cavaliers had tacked on three more runs.
David Gutierrez (5-1) suffered his first loss of the year, allowing five runs – four earned – on seven hits, while walking three and striking out six in five innings. Travis Miler, Sam Robinson, Taylor Wulf, Daniel Miranda and E.J. Encinosa combined to go the rest of the way for UM.
Danny Hultzen (8-1) allowed two runs on four hits and five walks while striking out seven in five innings of work to get the win for the Cavaliers. Will Roberts, Justin Thompson, and Kevin Arico went the last five innings, allowing two earned runs on three hits – with Arico picking up his 15th save of the season.
Yasmani Grandal and Scott Lawson each finished with two hits for the `Canes, who had 10 hits and six walks but stranded 14 runners on the day. Phil Gosselin and Jarrett Parker each had three hits for UVa, while John Hicks and Stephen Bruno each plated a pair of runs.
The Cavaliers scored two runs in the bottom of the first to take the early lead again. After a double and a single put runners on the corners to start the game, a passed ball allowed the Cavs’ first run to come in before a wild pitch followed by a RBI grounder brought across their second.
The `Canes responded in the bottom of the first with a run of their own to cut UVa’s lead to one. Following a Zeke DeVoss single, a fielder’s choice grounder by Frankie Ratcliff and back-to-back walks by Grandal and Harold Martinez loaded the bases for the Miami. A wild pitch by Hultzen then scored Ratcliff to put UM on the board.
Gosselin smacked a two-run double to left in the second to put the Cavaliers up by three before a Franco Valdes single to left two innings later scored Hicks – who singled to lead off the frame -from second for UVa’s fourth run.
Chris Pelaez drove in Miami’s second run of the game with a bloop single to left in the fifth, but Virginia got that run right back in the sixth and scored another in the seventh to go up 7-2.
Back-to-back RBI singles in the eighth by Michael Broad and Scott Lawson cut UVa’s lead to 7-4 but the Cavaliers would get out of a bases loaded jam to preserve the win.
During the game, team awards were announced for the 2010 season, with Grandal earning three of the six honors. Pelaez (.307, 9 HR, 46 RBI) was named Rookie of the Year, Martinez (team-high 17 homers) the Home Run Champion and Chris Hernandez (8-3, 2.94 ERA) was awarded the Ron Fraser Award for the team’s top pitcher. Grandal (.428, 13 HR, 54 RBI) garnered the Team MVP Award, the Arnold Novins Award (fan favorite) and the Bob Werner Award (most exemplifies winner qualities).
Miami will now begin preparation for next week’s Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Championship, set to begin on Wednesday, May 26 at NewBridge Bank Park in Greensboro, N.C. The Hurricanes will be the fourth seed in the tournament.
Series Notes
– Yasmani Grandal led the `Canes offensively over the weekend, reaching base in 7-of-14 plate appearances, tallying four hits and three walks.
– Miami’s pitching stuff turned in a 3.41 ERA on the weekend while the Hurricanes’ bullpen allowed just two earned runs while striking out 19 in 13 1/3 combined innings.
– Scott Lawson also had a solid offensive weekend, collecting three hits, two walks and a team-best four RBI.
– Zeke DeVoss increased his team-high stolen base total to 22 with a pair of steals against the Cavaliers.
– The Hurricanes closed out the 2010 regular season with a record of 27-8 at Alex Rodriguez Park.
