Baseball Drops ACC Championship Game to Miami, 8-4

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. Virginia saw its stay at the ACC Baseball Championship end Sunday with an 8-4 loss to second-ranked Miami in the championship game in front of 5,478 fans at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. The top-seeded Hurricanes claimed their first ACC Baseball Championship.<?xml:namespace prefix=”o” ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office”?>

The loss ends a strong run in the tournament for the sixth-seeded Cavaliers (38-21), who upended top-ranked North Carolina, 8-7 in 11 innings, Wednesday and No. 3 Florida State, 5-3, Friday. Virginia was competing in its fourth ACC championship game and first since 2005.

After the game, Virginia’s David Coleman (Fr., Richmond, Va.) was named to the All-Tournament Team. Along with Miami second baseman Jemile Weeks, Coleman was one of two unanimous selections to the team.

Virginia starting pitcher Pat McAnaney (Sr., Syracuse, N.Y.) pitched 2.1 innings, allowing six earned runs, six hits and a career-high four walks while striking out one. He falls to 4-5 on the season.

Miami starter David Gutierrez (4-0) earned the win and pitched five innings, allowing three earned runs, six hits and two walks while striking out two. Kyle Bellamy notched his third save.

David Adams (Jr., Margate, Fla.) and Phil Gosselin (Fr., West Chester, Pa.) each had two hits for Virginia, which finished with 10 hits but hit into four double plays. Mark Sobolewski and Jason Hagerty each had three hits for Miami (47-8).

Miami started strong with a four-run first inning, as the Hurricanes racked up four singles and took advantage of some uncharacteristic wildness (two walks, one hit by pitch) from McAnaney. Sobolewski, Ryan Jackson and Dennis Raben had consecutive RBI singles and Dave DiNatale followed with a sacrifice fly.

The Hurricanes stretched their lead to 7-0 in the third. McAnaney was replaced after three batters with Robert Morey (Fr., Virginia Beach, Va.), who surrendered an RBI single to Hagerty, a run-scoring groundout to Yasmani Grandal and an RBI double to Blake Tekotte.

Virginia batted around and scored four runs in the sixth to cut a big chunk out of the lead. The Cavaliers put up six hits in the frame, including four straight to open the inning, with David Coleman (Fr., Richmond, Va.) and Adams each posting RBI singles to knock Gutierrez from the game. After a double play, Dan Grovatt (Fr., Tabernacle, N.J.) singled to drive in a run and Gosselin doubled to drive in Grovatt and trim the lead to three, 7-4.

Miami got a run back in the eighth inning, as Sobolewski hit a two-out single to score Jemile Weeks.

Virginia will now await its postseason fate. The NCAA tournament selection show will be held at 12:30 p.m. Monday on ESPN.

2008 All-Tournament Team

C: Buster Posey, Florida State

1B: Yonder Alonso, Miami

2B: Jemile Weeks, Miami*

3B: Drew Martin, NC State

SS: Tommy Foschi, NC State

OF: David Coleman, Virginia*

OF: Dave DiNatale, Miami

OF: Blake Tekotte, Miami

DH/UT: Allan Dykstra, Wake Forest

P: Chris Hernandez, Miami

P: Matt Harvey, North Carolina

Tournament MVP: Dave DiNatale, Miami