#ACCBase Championship: Virginia Outlasts Miami, 6-4
Swab helps Cavaliers pull out victory after over seven hours of weather delays.



May 27, 2011

DURHAM, N.C. - After a weather delay of over seven hours, Virginia (47-9) became the first team to post two wins in the 2011 ACC Baseball Championship with a 6-4 victory over Miami (35-21). Center fielder Kenny Swab keyed the win with four hits and four RBIs.

The game started shortly after 11 a.m. and ended at 10:33 p.m.

Virginia threatened in top of first with two singles. But Miami second baseman Zeke DeVoss robbed Danny Hultzen with a spectacular leaping stab of a line drive to end the inning.

DeVoss was hit by a pitch in the first to extend a streak of reaching base to 12 consecutive plate appearances. Rony Rodriguez hit a towering two-run home run over the Blue Monster in left field and the Hurricanes were up 2-0.

Lightning was sighted shortly after Virginia took the field for the bottom of the second and the teams were pulled. A torrential rain followed, drenching the field and sending the crowd of 4,419 in search of shelter.

 

 

Will Roberts started the game for Virginia, Eric Whaley for Miami. Roberts returned for the Cavaliers after the delay, but the Hurricanes elected to sit down Whaley for the night and replace him with Steven Ewing.

Miami coach Jim Morris said he never considered bringing Whaley back. His Virginia counterpart Brian O'Connor said Roberts was "emphatic about going back out there." Although not involved in the decision, Roberts pitched four scoreless innings after the delay.

Virginia cut into the Miami lead in the third, using a single, a hit batter, a ground out and a sacrifice fly by Steven Proscia to score its first run.

Swab led off the fourth with a single for Virginia but was thrown out attempting to stretch the hit into a double.

The Cavaliers took the lead in the sixth off reliever Travis Miller. A throwing error by DeVoss on a Hultzen grounder opened the doors. Hultzen stole second and scored on Swab's single. David Coleman and Jared King loaded the bases with consecutive singles and Keith Werman flared a single into shallow center field, scoring Swab and keeping the bases full. Miller responded by striking out Chris Taylor and John Barr.

Harold Martinez hit his first career triple to lead off the bottom of the sixth but a brief shower led to the game's second suspension.

Play resumed after six minutes. Werman couldn't handle a grounder by Chris Pelaez and Martinez scored the tying run on the error. Brad Fieger singled but Thompson matched Miller's feat, striking out a pair to end the inning.

John Hicks and Stephen Proscia led off the Virginia seventh with singles, sending Miller to the showers in favor of Sam Robinson. Hultzen tried to bunt the runners over but all runners were safe when Miami unsuccessfully tried to retire Hicks at third. Swab doubled to right, driving in three runs. Werman was hit by a pitch with two outs but Swab was nailed at the plate after a single by Chris Taylor.

Miami used its speed to muster a threat in the bottom of the seventh. DeVoss and Nathan Melendres led off the inning with bunt singles but Thompson bore down and got out of the inning without allowing further advances.

Pinch-hitter Chantz Mack doubled in a run off Virginia closer Branden Kline in the eighth but Kline struck out Melendres and Rodriguez with the bases loaded.

Kline retired Miami in order in the ninth to notch his league-leading 16th save. Thompson (3-1) was the winner, with Miller (2-1) picking up the loss. The Hurricanes used seven pitchers.

GAME NOTES

Kenny Swab has four hits and four RBIs as Virginia rallies from an early 2-0 deficit to defeat Miami 6-4 in a second-round game that takes 11:26 to complete ... the game, which started at 11:07 a.m., resumed at 7:02 p.m. following a seven-hour and 24 minute rain delay ... Virginia has 15 hits for a second-straight game ... Miami leaves seven runners on base in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings ... the Cavaliers move to 2-0 in ACC Tournament play for the fourth time in the last five years ... the Cavaliers won ACC Championships in 1996 and 2009, both of which were played in the Durham Bulls Athletic Park ...with the win, Virginia runs its record to 47-9, tying for the third-most single season wins in school history.

Miami
Starting pitcher Eric Whaley threw 29 pitches in his two innings prior to the rain delay ... Zeke DeVoss had reached base 12 consecutive times prior to his second-inning strikeout; during the streak, DeVoss had eight hits, three walks and one hit by pitch ... Rony Rodriguez's first-inning home run was his team-high 11th of the year; the junior LF has hit Miami's last three home runs ... Sam Robinson's seventh-inning appearance was his 33rd of the season, second most in the ACC.

Virginia
Eight of Virginia's nine starters had at least one hit against the Hurricanes ... following a 15-hit effort in their tournament opener against Wake Forest, the Cavaliers have now totaled 30 hits in two ACC Tournament games and are batting .410 (30-for-73) ... starting pitcher Will Roberts has a 17-1 career record ...with five hits in Virginia's first two games, junior 3B Steven Proscia moved into eighth place among school career hit leaders with 243 ... Branden Kline picked up his league-leading 16th save (two shy of the ACC record), working a scoreless 1.2 innings.