Miami captures first ACC baseball title

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The University of Miami sent 10 batters to the plate during a four-run first inning and went on to defeat Virginia, 8-4, Sunday afternoon to clinch the championship game of the 2008 Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Championship at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville.

Mark Sobolewski, Ryan Jackson and Dennis Raben hit RBI singles in the first off Virginia starter Pat McAnaney (4-5). Miami added three runs in the third, including an RBI double by Blake Tekotte.

Starting pitcher David Gutierrez (4-0) held Virginia scoreless on three hits through the first five innings. He left in the sixth after giving up four consecutive hits during Virginia's four-run sixth.

David Gosselin smacked an RBI double in that inning, off reliever Anthony Napela, and David Coleman, David Adams and Dan Grovatt hit run-scoring singles.

However, Napela benefited from a double play started by Jackson a shortstop, the third twin killing of the game he began. The Hurricanes turned a fourth double play in the bottom of the ninth to snuff out a Virginia rally after the Cavaliers had two runners on and none out.

Kyle Bellamy pitched the last two and one-thirds innings to get his third save of the season.

Miami got an insurance run in the top of the eighth on Sobolewski's RBI single. Sobolewski, Raben and Jason Hagerty each went 3-for-5.

The top-seeded Hurricanes (47-8) won their first conference championship in the school's storied program. Miami has won four national championships and a combined 18 regional and super-regional titles, but competed as an independent before joining the ACC in 2005.

Miami went 2-6 in its first three ACC tournaments, but went undefeated this year with a 3-0 record in its division in round-robin play over Clemson, Georgia Tech and North Carolina State.

Virginia (38-21), the sixth-seeded team in the tournament, went 2-1 in its bracket to reach the title game.

Five Hurricanes were selected to the 2008 ACC Baseball All-Tournament Team with outfielder Dave DiNatale tabbed the Most Valuable Player. NC State placed two on the all-tourney squad, while Florida State, North Carolina, Virginia and Wake Forest each had one representative.

Up next will be the 2008 NCAA Baseball Regionals, held at 16 regional sites. The NCAA will announce the sites at 7 p.m. tonight on ESPN2, while the 64-team field for the national tournament will be released Monday, May 26, at 12:30 p.m. on ESPN.