UVa finally beaten in bizarre fashion

The pair have combined to serve as their schools’ respective head coaches for almost 2,000 games.

Yet the managers from Miami and Virginia had never witnessed an ending quite so unique.

With the bases loaded, two outs recorded and two strikes in Miami pitcher Kyle Bellamy’s pocket, Virginia right fielder Dan Grovatt swung and missed at what proved to be the most pivotal pitch in the contest.

The confusion that followed was mind-boggling. But when the dust settled, Bellamy’s ability to cover the plate and catcher Jason Haggerty’s cat-like prowess behind the dish lifted No. 9 Miami to a 4-3 victory at Davenport Field as a season-best crowd of 2,649 watched.

After Bellamy’s final offering sailed to the backstop, Virginia’s Jarrett Parker raced for home from third and slid into the plate as the pitcher caught the return offering from Haggerty. Bellamy, with his right foot squarely on the plate, tried to tag Parker’s outstretched foot.

The tag, while not needed, was clearly late. With a force play in effect in the bases-loaded scenario, the swipe itself was meaningless.

Home plate umpire Jacob Asher, perhaps the only person in stadium aware of the situation at the moment, promptly called the force out based on Bellamy’s right foot.

“It was a crazy play to end the game,” Miami coach Jim Morris said. “I have never seen a game end like that — it was a force play at home plate. I thought he was out. It wasn’t where you had to tag him.

“If he had to tag him, he would have been safe. It was a force play at the plate and I thought it was bang-bang, but I thought he was out. I had a pretty good angle, but it was a crazy play to end the game.”

It was a rough way for No. 7 Virginia, which led 3-0 entering the seventh inning, to swallow its first loss of the season. The setback snapped the Cavaliers’ 19-game winning streak, the longest in the nation.

“It is a tough call and I felt the umpire made the right call because it is a force play and the ball was there,” Virginia coach Brian O’Connor said. “I thought it was a great college baseball game between two great teams.

“It was a tough way to lose your first game of the season, but we are proud that we had a good 19-game stretch there to open up the season.”

In the ninth, pinch-hitter John Bivens walked and was replaced on the bases by Corey Hunt. After Parker walked, Virginia (19-1, 5-1 ACC) was snuffed out on a double steal attempt as Hunt was gunned at third while Phil Gosselin took a 2-0 pitch for a strike.

“That is the great thing about managing a college baseball game and making those decisions,” O’Connor said. “Sometimes you are going to call them right and sometimes you are going to call them wrong. We have played all season trying to force the issue and Bellamy is an All-American kind of closer. He is a tough guy to get multiple hits off of in an inning.

“If you can put the runners in motion and we put the ball in play, you can stay out of the double play. You have the tying run and the winning run at second and third base with a left-handed hitter coming up. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out that way, but still we had opportunities to win the game there at the end.”

After Hunt was gunned down and Virginia had two outs in the final frame, Gosselin rocketed a single to right that forced Parker to stay at third base. A walk to first baseman Danny Hultzen followed to load the bases, setting the stage for the improbable finish.

“I haven’t seen a game finish in the bottom of the ninth with the bases loaded, strike-three swinging and a force play at home plate,” O’Connor said.

The loss spoiled an excellent start from Virginia pitcher Andrew Carraway, who allowed four hits, two walks and three earned runs over 6.2 innings.

Carraway, who did not factor into the decision, was pulled after loading the bases in the seventh, the lone scoring inning for the Hurricanes (17-4, 6-2).

“Andrew Carraway was in complete command,” O’Connor said. “He pitched good enough, no question, for him to win this game. When I decided to take him out in the seventh inning with two outs and the bases loaded, Carraway was at about 110 pitches and Matt Packer is one of our best.

“Unfortunately, we weren’t able to close it out for him.”

Miami shortstop Ryan Jackson delivered the biggest blow off Virginia closer Matt Packer (1-1) as he drilled a two-run single into centerfield that tied the contest.

“It was a foot away from [second baseman Keith] Werman making the play,” O’Connor said. “That’s the breaks that happen sometimes in baseball.”

Virginia, which scored lone runs in the third, fourth and sixth innings, finished the contest with just five hits off four Miami pitchers.

The teams will close out the series today at noon.