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Miami Ends FSU's Season

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By BRIAN CHRISTOPHERSON

Tribune correspondent

Published: June 17, 2008

OMAHA, Neb. - When it was over and tears were being wiped on baseball jerseys, the old coach said he never had worked with a better group of young men in all his years.

The ending came sooner than many expected for Mike Martin's Florida State team, the No. 4 national seed becoming the first club bounced from this year's College World Series on Monday afternoon.

Adding to the Seminoles' disappointment was that in-state rival Miami did the bouncing, the Hurricanes hanging on for a 7-5 victory despite the fact the Noles spent most of the day taking up space on the base paths.

FSU tallied an impressive 18 hits - seven more than Miami - but constantly lacked the timely ones.

"If you would have told me before we started the game that we were going to get 18 hits and not make an error, I would have certainly taken my chances," Martin said.

But Florida State left 17 runners on base - a CWS record for a nine-inning game - and 11 of those were stranded in scoring position.

"Anytime that happens, as a coach you're thinking, 'Geez, that's going to bite us in the butt at the end of the game,'" said Miami coach Jim Morris, whose top-seeded team will play Stanford on Wednesday.
Third baseman Stuart Tapley's day at the plate summed up the missed opportunities for the Noles. He was 0-for-5, four times coming up with someone in scoring position. He struck out three times, once with the bases loaded.

Despite all the missed chances, the Noles (54-13) were still in position for a dramatic comeback in the final inning.

Trailing 7-2, the Noles had no problem hitting Miami closer Carlos Gutierrez - a first-round pick in the draft but coming off a blown save against Georgia on Saturday.

FSU had four singles in the ninth and two walks, batting around. It allowed the national player of the year - catcher Buster Posey - to get to the plate as the potential leading run with two outs. Posey had 26 homers this year, but walked this time.

That loaded the bases, Miami up 7-5. FSU center fielder Jack Rye then hit a tough-hop grounder to Canes second baseman Jemile Weeks, who played it well and flipped to second for the game-ending force out.

Weeks got Miami going in the third when he hit a two-run homer to right that put the Canes up 2-1. Miami pushed across four that inning, adding two more in the seventh and one in the eighth.

"That game was just a normal Florida State-Miami game," Morris said. "It's amazing how many end up at the end being a one-run game. I tell you my heart can't take many games like that right there."

This was Martin's 13{+t}{+h} visit to the CWS in his 29{+t}{+h} year coaching the Seminoles. He's yet to leave Omaha as a national champion.

"There's only going to be one leaving here with a smile on their face," Martin said. "We didn't get the prize, but we got a bundle of memories and that's what this involves."

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