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.
My shortest post ever in all the years I have written something on here
Pathetic … and that’s being generous
Boston College with a 3-23 in conference record. Wake Forest with a 9-18 in conference record. Canes get the series taken from them by both teams. Those series really were a time when you should be able to walk out with “Miami” or “Hurricanes” written on the front of your jersey and win the game based solely on that
To steal a line from MSNBC – don’t lean left or lean right .. lean forward
Forward as in, move forward, make a change. I’ve been calling for one for years. Years. The welcome has been worn out, the product has regressed – it has turned into the older housewife who still desperately clings to winning High School Prom Queen and Homecoming Queen years ago. Twelve years ago. She still has her tiaras on that soft purple pillow, in a glass case, with LED lights shining down upon it in her foyer so you see it right away – and a few family members will remind people about it to help make her feel good … and make themselves feel good in some f*cked up kind of way b/c they ooze with myopia. Those family members are like Stevie from East Bound and Down, while Jim Morris is their Kenny Powers – but nowhere as near cool or funny
Even with certain restrictions that come into play – you can still pound the fundamentals and coach them up better than what we’ve had to witness these past 4 to 5 years
Pathetic.
Sam – Hard to disagree, man.
Miami Baseball will probably never be again, due to the private school v. public school / scholarship issues, as well as the in-state parity and solid baseball school options that are offered here in 2013 … but losing to Boston College and Wake Forest in the fashion Miami did — that is all about poor fundamentals and a lack of heart. No other way to measure it.
This staff isn’t hungry and as a result these kids aren’t, either.
Unfortunately, I don’t see change coming, unless Morris is forced out (behind the scenes) or chooses to step down. Contract runs through 2015 and to your point, seems everyone has just been waiting around for things to rebound, as that worked in the past.
This isn’t the result of a few down years; this is a broken culture, a la what we saw in football between 2005 and 2010 under Coker / Shannon.
It will take a young, hungry up and comer to get the most out of these current and future kids. A staff ready to hustle and work for it, not coasting in the twilight of a legend’s career.
No one seems willing to make any necessary changes for the program. The team has been terrible since 2009. R.I.P. Miami Baseball.
… changes have been made on the assistant front. Gino DiMare was brought back and other things have been tweaked. The bigger issue is the state of college baseball (re: now in a major conference, private school versus public school and limited scholarships) and the fact that Miami has a coach who is on the downside of his career arc, resume already impressive and not hungry like a younger guy yet to ever win anything. Miami is in the position a lot of successful programs get in; how do you run off the guy who brought a few rings to the program and got it done for two decades?
Morris’ contract runs through 2015 so don’t expect change, unless he steps down. Even if and when that happens, Miami baseball as we knew it will never be again. Not when there is so much more in-state parity and kids can go play for another great Sunshine State school for 20-percent the tuition, room and board, etc.