Miami Eliminated from ACC Championship with Loss to Virginia
May 29, 2010
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The fourth-seeded University of Miami baseball team was eliminated from the Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Championship on Saturday, falling 12-8 to top-seeded Virginia at NewBridge Bank Park.
Miami (40-17) will now await its NCAA tournament fate when regional sites are selected Sunday and the entire tournament field is announced Monday.
The `Canes jumped out to a 7-5 lead midway through the contest against the Cavaliers (47-11) but were unable to hang onto the lead as Virginia scored four in the sixth and three more in the seventh to take the lead for good.
Six of Virginia’s 12 runs were unearned, as three Miami errors in the game proved costly. The `Canes offense, despite being out-hit 15-to-7, had another big day at the plate as Miami hit four home runs as a team. Michael Broad, Zeke DeVoss, Harold Martinez and Nathan Melendres all homered for the second time in the tournament.
Martinez had a three-run blast and Melendres smacked a two-run shot as the pair combined to drive in five of Miami’s eight runs.
Reliever E.J. Encinosa (1-1) suffered his first loss of the season, allowing three runs – one earned – in an inning of work. UM starter David Gutierrez allowed four earned runs on eight hits in three innings of work.
UVa starter Danny Hultzen (9-1) earned the win despite allowing seven runs – five earned – on six hits in six innings of work. Relievers Branden Kline and Kevin Arico went the rest of the way to secure the win for the Cavaliers.
Steven Proscia led UVa at the plate, going 3-for-5 with a homer, three RBI and two runs scored. Dan Grovatt, John Hicks, Tyler Cannon, Franco Valdes and John Barr all finished with two hits.
Grovatt started the scoring in the bottom of the first, hitting a line drive solo shot to right to put the Cavaliers up one early on.
The Hurricanes responded in the top of half of the second however, grabbing a 2-1 lead on Melendres’ two-run shot to left-center.
UVa quickly tied it up in the bottom of the second on a pair of doubles by Hicks and Valdes.
Miami then jumped up 6-2 with four runs in the top of the third on a RBI single by Scott Lawson and the three-run blast to left by Martinez.
Virginia cut right back into that lead in the bottom of the third, scoring two runs on a single and another on a UM error.
After the `Canes added their seventh run on a DeVoss homer, the Cavs re-took the lead, 9-7, with four-spot in the sixth – highlighted by a three-run homer by Proscia.
An inning later, UVa added three more runs on another homer – this one by Phil Gosselin – to pull away for the win.
Miami’s Tournament Notes
– The Hurricanes finished the week in Greensboro, 1-2.
– Miami scored 27 runs as a team in the tournament (9 runs/game).
– Michael Broad (5-for-12) led UM in hitting in the tournament.
– Nathan Melendres (4-for-11, two homers, five RBI, team-high five runs scored) and Harold Martinez (4-for-14, two homers, team-high seven RBI, four runs scored) also had strong showings at the plate.
– The Hurricanes hit nine home runs as a team in the tournament, including two apiece from Michael Broad, Zeke DeVoss, Harold Martinez and Nathan Melendres.
– Ten of Miami’s 27 runs allowed were unearned, as the `Canes committed six errors in the three games.
