The “good” news; Miami can make itself eligible for the ACC Tournament with one win over Georgia Tech in three tries this weekend. The bad; the fact that the Hurricanes have been terrible on the road as of late and the post-season will begin in Durham.
One can respect the way a local article would point out any possible bright spot with this UM team, but at day’s end, going 2-4 against the likes of Wake Forest and Boston College with the post-season days away? Absolutely pathetic baseball, no matter how you try to dress it up.
A week ago the Canes took on a horrible Eagles squad that was winless in the ACC in early May. This past weekend, a squad that was 7-17 in conference play just took the final two games of this series.
Miami is now 33-20 overall and 12-15 in ACC play with Georgia Tech headed to Coral Gables this weekend. More frustrating, the way these Hurricanes have been losing ball games.
UM got the 8-3 win in game one Friday night. Three runs in the first inning set the tone and Miami was up 7-0 before Wake Forest showed any life, scoring two in the third and two more in the seventh. Chris Diaz went seven innings, giving up seven hits, one run and striking out five. He was relieved by Eric Whaley and AJ Salcines, who combined for two innings and gave up four total hits.
Miami had twelve hits on the day to Wake Forest’s eleven, but the Canes’ defense stepped up, turning five double plays in route to that game one win.
From there, the wheels again came off against a lesser foe. On Saturday, Wake Forest took the early 3-0 lead after one, but Miami made it a one-run game after four and took a 4-3 lead in the top of the eighth. In the ninth, it came unglued.
Bryan Radziewski went seven innings, giving up six hits and three runs while striking out ten. Javi Salas came in for one, striking out two and giving up no hits. Eric Nedeljkovic relieved in the ninth, giving up two hits and the game’s final two runs.
Miami had eight hits to Wake Forest’s eight and the teams combined for seventeen runners left on base (nine for the Deacs, eight for the Canes), but in a close game, it came down to that final inning in crunch time and the home team delivered.
A twenty-six minute rain delay didn’t help Nedeljkovic’s cause as he walked Brett Armour upon his return. Two batters later Charlie Morgan drove the ball to the wall in left center, doubling, plating Armour and tying the game.
Miami walked the next batter, wound out getting a force-out on a grounder, but couldn’t retire the hitter. From there, a hit batter loaded the bases and a Matt Conway single drove in the game-winning run.
Tough as game two was to swallow, the rubber match was the back-breaker, courtesy of an embarrassing six-run eighth inning given up in a game that was tied 3-3 with three to play.
The teams traded runs in the second and third, tying things 1-1 until the top of the fifth when Miami gone one and took the lead. Wake responded with two, going up, 3-2 and the Canes tied things up with one in the top of the sixth. A back-and-forth contest with a few to play, it appeared to be anybody’s game before a disastrous bottom of the eighth.
Andrew Suarez went four innings for Miami, giving up four hits and three runs, which brought in Whaley for an inning, where he gave up a hit. Thomas Woodrey relieved and went just under an inning, striking out one before the tag team duo of Salas and Salcines we’re charged with six runs, with Salas earning the loss.
The Demon Deacons sent ten batters to the place in the bottom of the eighth, made possible due to sloppy defense by the Hurricanes. A mishandled ball on a sacrifice bunt. A poor fielding choice that led to two runs. Then the were the a few RBI-fueled doubles that proved to be insult to injury on Senior Day for a squad with little to celebrate this season. In the end, a 9-3 loss for Miami in a game tied with nine total outs remaining.
Georgia Tech heads to town Thursday through Saturday and is coming off a series win in Atlanta over second-ranked North Carolina this past weekend, handing the Tar Heels two of their four losses on the season. The Yellow Jackets are now 32-20 over all and 14-13 in conference play. They’ll take on state-rival Georgia in a one-game series before heading to Coral Gables for the home finale.
Miami needs one win to guarantee a trip to the ACC Tournament next week. A lone win just to reach a conference tourney, not Omaha. How the mighty have fallen.
While private school tuition costs and scholarship reductions are real issues for this program, neither excuse going 2-4 against some ACC bottom-dwellers.
Three games remain. Let’s see what you have left in the tank, Miami. From here it doesn’t look like all that much.