In a game where the UM baseball team was outhit by No. 3 Virginia 16-3, the Canes kept it close in an extra-inning affair by getting out of several jams, but there was one jam they didn’t quite survive.
The Canes imploded in the 11th inning when reliever Enrique Sosa gave up six runs to drop Game 2 of the series 8-3 on Sunday night at Alex Rodriguez Park.
The Cavaliers’ outburst was reminiscent to the way UM blew the game open in its eighth inning on Saturday. This time the Canes were on the wrong end of it.
UVA had the bases loaded and nobody out as an infield hit, a bases-loaded walk and a passed ball allowed three runs to score. Then Virginia catcher Robbie Coman hit a two-run single and third baseman Kenny Towns drilled an RBI double down the left-field line to blow it open.
The Canes almost made a game of it in the bottom of the 11th, getting their first four batters on, but ultimately mustered only one run.
Virginia (18-4, 6-2 ACC) took back sole possession of first place in the Coastal Division after Miami (13-11, 5-3) had tied them for that spot the night before.
Virginia missed several opportunities to score runs before earlier. Entering the 11th, the Cavaliers had left 13 men on base and stranded a man in scoring position in eight different innings.
Similar to Saturday, Sunday’s affair began as a pitcher’s duel. UM starter Andrew Suarez and Virginia starter Josh Sborz, who each settled for no-decisions, traded zeroes on the scoreboard for the first 4 1/2 innings before a run was scored.
Suarez gave up two runs on nine hits through 6 2/3 innings pitched. He had the Cavaliers scoreless until the seventh.
Sborz retired the first 13 Hurricanes hitters he faced before walking two and allowing them to score in the fifth. He struck out 10 Canes in seven innings while giving up just the one hit to Johnny Ruiz — a double that scored two.
The teams meet again for the series finale on Monday as Bryan Radziewski (1-2, 3.67 ERA) takes the hill for the Canes in a game that will be aired on ESPNU.
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