April 29, 2005

Final Stats

CORAL GABLES, Fla. - Using a season-high nine pitchers, Maryland baseball kept the game close at No. 4 Miami, but the Hurricanes scored a pair of runs in the sixth and seventh innings to come away with a 4-3 win on Friday night. With the loss, Maryland fell to 20-25 on the season and 6-19 in Atlantic Coast Conference play, while Miami improved to 32-10-1 and 16-5-1 in the ACC.

Facing one of the nation's top pitchers in Cesar Carrillo (9-0, 1.44 ERA entering the game) and one of the nation's top hitting teams (seventh nationally with a .331 team average), coach Terry Rupp opted to go with a staff day, throwing nine different pitchers at Miami.

The strategy paid off, too, as the Terps played the Hurricanes tight all game long. The team played its best defense of the season to help that cause, not committing an error and making several rangy plays in the infield.

A couple of solo home runs from Ryan Braun and Danny Valencia were difference makers, with Valencia's shot to left-center in the sixth inning putting the Hurricanes up for good at 3-2.

Matt Maropis, Truan Mehl and Jordan Wilson each had a pair of hits, combining for all six of Maryland's hits on the night. Maropis and Mehl each doubled, and Maropis scored two of the team's three runs. Wilson led off an inning with a single and moved Brian Jarosinski into position to score a game-tying run in the fourth inning.

Will Frazier drove in a run for the sixth time in seven games, and Chad Durakis drove in his 21st RBI of the season with a fielder's choice in the fourth inning.

Carrillo, tied for the NCAA lead with nine wins coming into tonight, improved to 10-0 on the season and 22-0 in his career, while Miami improved to 32-0 when the junior right-hander pitches.

Maryland got on the board in the first inning off the nation's co-leader in wins, Cesar Carrillo. Matt Maropis lined a one-out single into left field to start things off, and Truan Mehl moved him to third with a hit-and-run single through the right side of the infield. Cleanup hitter Will Frazier grounded out to shortstop Roger Tomas to score Maropis from third, his 10th RBI in the last 10 games.

Miami came back with runs in the second and third innings to take a 2-1 lead after three innings. Danny Figueroa hit a two-out RBI single off Seth Overbey in the second, and Ryan Braun, third in the Atlantic Coast Conference in home runs, connected on a long solo homer to left field off Brett Tidball.

The Terps evened the score in the top of the fourth inning when designated hitter Chad Durakis scored Brian Jarosinski on a fielder's choice. Jarosinski reached on a leadoff walk, moved from first to third on Jordan Wilson's second base hit of the game, and then scored on Durakis' groundball to second base.

Miami took back its lead behind another solo home run in the fifth inning. This time, first baseman Danny Valencia lined a 2-1 pitch off Casey Baron over the 365-foot sign in left-center field to lead off the fifth.

The Hurricanes added another run in the seventh with a couple of two-out hits. Roger Tomas lined a triple down the left field line, just past a diving Matt Maropis at third base. The next batter, Eddy Rodriguez plated Tomas with an RBI single through the left side of the infield. The insurance run proved to be valuable, giving Miami a 4-2 lead through seven innings.

Maryland got a run back in the top of the eighth inning, closing to within 4-3. Matt Maropis lined a 1-2 pitch opposite field down the right field line for a lead-off double and came around to score from second on a throwing error by third baseman Ryan Braun. Will Frazier reached base and moved up to second on the overthrow, putting the tying run in scoring position with one out. The Terps couldn't break through and headed into the bottom of the eighth down 4-3.

Ryan Moorer worked a 1-2-3 eighth to keep the Miami lead at one run, giving Maryland a chance to tie in the top of the ninth. But, Hurricane reliever Chris Perez entered the game and retired the side to save his fourth game of the season.

The teams will meet again tomorrow night at 7 p.m., with Maryland's Chris Bowen (2-2, 3.34 ERA) expected to face Miami's Brandon Camardese (5-0, 5.09 ERA) in a lefty-vs.-lefty matchup.