Canes Win In Wildest Of Fashions

The Miami Hurricanes prevailed in the second game of the ACC Tournament Thursday evening in Jacksonville, 15-12, over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, in a game that was as wild as it was long (just under 4 hours). It was one of the wildest, most action-packed contests I can remember watching - one of those barn-burners in which no lead, however large, was safe.

Homeruns abounded as the Canes tied the single-game ACC Tournament record of 6 bombs. Yonder Alonso and Dave DiNatale both had 2, while Blake Tekotte and freshman sensation Yasmani Grandal each chipped in another. The most clutch of them all was DiNatale's second homer of the night. With UM trailing 12-11 in the top of the 9th, DiNatale hit a 3-run shot to deep left-center to put the Canes ahead for good.

The most concerning aspect of the night for the Canes was that their pitching again got exposed. Besides freshman wunderkind Chris Hernandez, who holds an 11-0 record this season, the pitching has been less-than-stellar. It may not cost you games against Georgia Tech, but it will most assuredly cost you games in the CWS. You simply cannot expect to win all the marbles if you have to put up double digit runs every game just to eke out victories.

Next up for Miami is NC State on Saturday. Win against the Wolfpack and the Canes advance to the title game on Sunday.