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Baseball
Miami Clinches Series Behind Shutout Victory
March 24, 2018
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – No. 24 Virginia (13-9, 3-5 ACC) was on the short end of a pitcher’s duel, dropping the second game of a three-game series, 1-0 to Miami (11-11, 5-3 ACC) at Alex Rodriguez Park.
Miami broke through with eventual game-deciding run in the bottom of the second when Romy Gonzalez tripled to left center, scoring Issac Quinones. Left fielder Charlie Cody had trouble tracking the ball off the bat and it dropped over his head near the warning track. Gonzalez attempted to score after the relay throw got away from catcher Caleb Knight (Checotah, Okla.) but pitcher Daniel Lynch (Henrico, Va.) alertly flipped the ball to the plate to prevent a second run.
Lynch put together another stellar effort on the mound, matching a career-high that he set last week with 11 strikeouts. He allowed eight hits and issued only one walk over seven innings pitched. He now leads the team with four quality starts this season.
Miami starting pitcher Evan McKendry was just as good and limited the Cavaliers to just three hits. He fanned a career-best, 12 batters over seven innings of work. For the game, Virginia struck out a season-high, 13 times.
Making his third start in center field, Cayman Richardson (Mechanicsville, Va.) saved two runs with a pair of outfield assists. He started an 8-6-1-2 putout at the plate in the game-deciding play that prevented a second run and later gunned down Gonzalez trying to score from second on a single in the fifth.
The 3-4-5 positions in the Virginia lineup, Justin Novak (Tokyo, Japan), Knight and Andy Weber (Aurora, Ohio) accounted for each of the three Cavalier hits on the night. Weber went 1-for-3 and was responsible for an incredible defensive play in the bottom of the third inning where he flipped a slow ground ball over to first with his glove just in time to catch Miami lead-off man Freedy Zamora at first base.
The series victory by Miami was the first over Virginia since 2009 and the first time Virginia has been shut out the season.
The series finale will take place on Sunday (March 25) at Alex Rodriguez Park. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. and the game will be carried live on ACC Network Extra. Sophomore Bobby Nicholson will be on the hill for Virginia and he will be opposed by right-hander Andrew Cabezas.
Additional Notes
– The three Virginia hits were the lowest total since April 6, 2015 against Louisville.
– The last time the Cavaliers were shut out was on March 27, 2016 at Louisville
– Nate Eikhoff‘s 16-game hit streak came to a halt as he went 0-for-4. Coming into the game he had reached base in all 21 games.
– Blake Rohm (Superior, Colo.) pitched a scoreless eighth inning and has yet to give up a run five appearances.
– Game attendance totaled, 2,962, the second highest number for a road game this season (3,392 at UCF on 2/16).