ACC baseball: Miami Hurricanes use big 8th inning to beat Virginia

Virginia seemed to be on its way to its seventh consecutive victory – and the first real surprise of the ACC baseball tournament – but that all changed during the bottom of the eighth inning on Wednesday.

That’s when Miami scored seven runs during its 9-5 victory on the first day of tournament pool play at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. The Hurricanes, winners of 13 consecutive games and the tournament’s No. 2 seed, will next play against N.C. State on Friday at 7 p.m.

Star of the game:

Miami catcher Garrett Kennedy made the most of his lone hit, which came during the Hurricanes’ outpouring in the eighth inning. His three-run home run with one out provided the final runs of the game. It was the signature moment of Miami’s late-game awakening, which began with a two-run single from David Thompson, who leads the nation with 80 RBIs.

Observations

Virginia, the tournament’s No. 7 seed, received a strong start from right-hander Connor Jones, who left with one out in the eighth inning. The Cavaliers’ bullpen faltered, though, and Virginia used three relief pitchers before that inning ended.

This story was originally published May 20, 2015 at 7:20 PM with the headline "ACC baseball: Miami Hurricanes use big 8th inning to beat Virginia."