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CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Stephen Perez hit a walk-off single to score Nathan Melendres in the 11th inning and lift No. 14 Miami to a 5-4 win over the No. 1 Virginia baseball team Thursday evening at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field. The loss snapped Virginia’s 14-game win streak.

Miami took advantage of a back-to-back two-out walks to Melendres and Michael Broad in the 11th before Perez singled to right-center field. Dan Grovatt’s (Jr., Tabernacle, N.J.) throw to the plate was just late as Melendres slid in head-first before the swipe tag of John Hicks (So., Sandy Hook, Va.).

Tyler Wilson (Jr., Midlothian, Va.) worked a career-high 5.2 innings and also struck out a career-high seven batters. Wilson (6-3) was credited with the loss after allowing three earned runs, five hits and four walks.

Miami’s bullpen held the Cavaliers in check over the final six innings. Eric Whaley pitched four scoreless innings before Daniel Miranda (5-2) retired six straight batters in the 10th and 11th to earn the victory.

Steven Proscia (So., Suffern, N.Y.) and John Barr (Jr., Ivyland, Pa.) each had two hits for Virginia.

Virginia’s Branden Kline (Fr., Frederick, Md.), worked 5.0 innings in his first career ACC start. He allowed two earned runs, three hits and two walks while striking out three. Miami starting pitcher Jason Santana pitched five innings and gave up four earned runs, seven hits and three walks, with two strikeouts.

Virginia (43-10, 21-7 ACC) started strong by sending eight batters to the plate in a three-run first inning. With one out, Tyler Cannon (Sr., Pigeon Forge, Tenn.) legged out a double to left-center. He advanced when Grovatt singled to right and scored on a Proscia double. One out later Hicks hit an 0-2 pitch up the middle for an RBI single, and Barr followed with an double to left-center to score Parker and give UVa a 3-0 lead.

Miami (39-13, 20-8) cut a run from the lead in its half of the first as Zeke DeVoss led off with a triple to the right-field corner and scored with one out on a Scott Lawson sacrifice fly.

The Hurricanes added a run in the third when Stephen Perez hit a solo home run to right-center.

Virginia tacked on a run in the fifth inning when Jarrett Parker (Jr., Stafford, Va.) hit a one-out triple to left-center and then scored on a Hicks sacrifice fly. For Parker, the triple was his seventh of the year, matching a school single-season record. It also was the 17th triple of his career, also a school record which moved him into an 11th-place tie in ACC history.

In the eighth Wilson struck out DeVoss before walking Frankie Ratcliff following a long at bat. Lawson then followed with a home run to right field to knot the score at four.

The teams return at 7 p.m. Friday for the second game of the series. The game will be televised by Comcast Sports Southeast and also will be picked up by Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic.

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