No. 4 Miami Clinches ACC Regular Season Title
Miami85Florida State
| RELATED LINKS |
| Box Score |
| Game Highlights |
| Season Stats |
| ACC Stats |
| LINESCORE | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| MIA | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 13 | 2 |
| FSU | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 1 |
| PITCHING | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | |||||||
| W – M. Mediavilla (10-1) | 6.0 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | ||||||
| L – C. Sands (4-6) | 3.1 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 4 | ||||||
| S – B. Garcia (14) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | ||||||
| INDIVIDUAL LEADERS | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AB | R | H | RBI | BB | HR | |||||||
| MIA – Z. Collins | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| FSU – J. Lueck | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
TALLAHASSEE — For the second time in three seasons, the Miami Hurricanes are ACC Regular Season Champions.
The fourth-ranked Canes toppled No. 14 Florida State 8-5 in Game 1 of a doubleheader, clinching the top seed at next week’s 2016 ACC Championship in Durham, N.C., and earning the third regular season crown in program history.
The series win over Florida State was Miami’s first since 2009 and first at Dick Howser Stadium since 2008. The victory also extended the Hurricanes’ winning streak to nine straight games.
Miami took a first-inning lead on a solo home run from slugger Zack Collins, doubled its lead an inning later on a homer from Willie Abreu, and clinched the win with Bryan Garcia’s 39th career save – moving him into a tie with George Huguet for first all-time in program history.
The Hurricanes (43-9, 21-6 ACC) plated runs in each of the first four innings to jump out to an early lead, including a four-run fourth that chased FSU righthander Cole Sands. Miami outhit the Seminoles 13-8.
Sophomore lefthander Michael Mediavilla battled his way through six innings, becoming Miami’s first 10-game winner on the hill since 2010 in a gritty outing.
Though he walked four batters, Mediavilla (10-1) grinded his way through another effective performance. He surrendered five hits and three earned runs over 112 pitches with four strikeouts.
Collins’ opposite-field blast was his team-leading 11th of the season, while Abreu kept close behind in the race with his 10th on a ball that curled around the foul pole in right.
Though the Seminoles (33-18, 15-9 ACC) halved the deficit on a sacrifice fly from Steven Wells Jr. in the second, Miami plated two more runs in the third on a two-RBI double to right-center from junior Johnny Ruiz.
With runners on the corners, Ruiz cracked a 1-1 pitch from Sands (4-6) into the right-center gap. FSU centerfielder Ben DeLuzio struggled to field the ball cleanly, and Collins (intentional walk) scored all the way from first on the play.
Miami opened the game up in the fourth. An RBI single from Edgar Michelangeli off Florida State reliever Mike Compton made it 5-1 in favor of the Hurricanes.
Carl Chester was then hit by a pitch and Christopher Barr reached on a catcher’s interference call to load the bases for Collins, who crushed a two-RBI single off the wall in right to push Miami’s lead to 7-1.
Senior Brandon Lopez capped the scoring with an RBI single sliced to right-center, extending his personal hitting streak to a career-long 16 straight games and giving Miami a seven-run lead.
Lopez successfully reached base for the 36th straight game with the single, Miami’s fourth and final hit of the inning.
Mediavilla did well to limit any damage across his six innings. He allowed an RBI single to Wells Jr., in the fourth but proceeded to strand runners on the corners, and after allowing an RBI single to Jackson Lueck, pitched his way out of a two-on jam in the sixth to maintain an 8-3 lead.
Freshman Frankie Bartow pitched a scoreless seventh, but was tagged for two runs in the eighth when Florida State’s Donovan Petrey reached on a throwing error by Michelangeli that plated a pair.
Garcia allowed the first two runners of the inning to reach via walk, but struck out the side to secure his ACC-leading 14th save and second of the series.
