So close, yet still so far away|[6/13/06]
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, June 14, 2006
OXFORD – It was the longest walk of Justin Henry’s short college baseball career.
Congratulating each Miami Hurricane player seconds after those same players celebrated a 14-9 victory that denied for the second straight year the Rebels a chance at playing on college baseball’s biggest stage.
“It’s so tough when you lay it on the line like we did tonight,” said Henry, who had two hits and two RBIs in a game that had five lead changes. “We competed hard and played well. They were just able to do a few more things and get a few more key hits than we did. You have to tip your caps to them.”
Miami (41-22) became the final piece of the Omaha puzzle and will battle Oregon State on Saturday in the first round of the College World Series. The Rebels ended the season 44-22 and will begin preparing for next season.
“Ole Miss is a great club with great fans that show out every night,” said Miami coach Jim Morris, who will try to guide the ‘Canes to their fifth national championship. “Both teams fought their hearts out and came out ready to play each and every game.
“I am very very proud of our players,” Morris said before recognizing players Chris Perez and Danny Valencia.
Valencia’s grand slam in the bottom of the seventh inning increased Miami’s lead to 13-8. He ended the game with three hits – two of them home runs – and seven RBIs.
“I had two strikes on me and didn’t want to strike out,” Valencia said of his grand slam. “It felt awesome.”
Miami added another run in the eighth before the Rebels mounted one last charge against Perez.
Henry, Chris Coghlan and Zack Cozart loaded the bases with three straight singles, keeping hope alive for a team that had to mount comebacks in every game of their six-game postseason run.
“I was running out of gas on my fastball,” said Perez, a former starter who pitched a season-high five innings of relief on Monday. “That ninth inning, they hit every pitch I threw. Coach (R.J.) Arteaga came out and said mix it up. I didn’t have much on my fastball so I started throwing offspeed pitches and breaking pitches.”
Perez forced Henry out at home on a slow grounder, recorded the second out on another grounder and struck out first baseman C.J. Ketchum to end the game.
“This was like a heavyweight fight in that they would take a shot, we would answer back and vice versa,” Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco said. “… I am very proud of this team, but I am also disappointed.”
Bianco’s pride stemmed from the fact that Ole Miss lost the bulk of its offense and pitching to the major league draft last season. The team began the year 13-11, 1-5 in the Southeastern Conference, before turning up the juice late in the season.
The Rebels swept through the SEC Tournament to earn a regional bid, then dispatched three teams in as many days to earn a Super Regional for the second straight year.
As was the case last year against Texas in the Super Regional, the Rebels won the first game only to see their title hopes extinguished in two straight games.
Ole Miss committed three costly errors Monday night and the starting pitching again struggled. Freshman Lance Lynn lasted only 2 2/3 innings and allowed six runs, including a first-inning, three-run blast to Valencia. In the three Super Regional games, no Ole Miss starting pitcher lasted into the fourth inning. Garrett White pitched 2 2/3 innings of relief and was charged with the loss.
“This is something you really have to go through yourself to understand what we are feeling right now,” Coghlan said. “Anytime you don’t make it to Omaha it’s disappointing. That’s the goal every year to get to Omaha.”