Yonder Alonso said this week that University of Miami baseball coach Jim Morris told his players their bats were cooling off because they were ``going through the motions.''
Not a chance, insisted Alonso, top-ranked Miami's most proficient slugger.
But just to be sure, Alonso throttled a full-count pitch by North Carolina ace Alex White in the third inning Thursday and planted it far beyond the left-field wall for a grand slam against the nation's No. 2 team.
Designated hitter Dave DiNatale added a two-run homer in the fourth and the Hurricanes broke open for six more in the seventh to clinch the Atlantic Coast Conference's Coastal Division title with a 12-2 victory at Mark Light Field.
Not to be outdone, UM starting pitcher Chris Hernandez continued his brilliant season, allowing two runs and four hits in 7 2/3 innings to raise his record to 10-0 and lower his ERA to 2.67. He struck out seven with no walks for the third consecutive game.
And he did it all in front of a grateful, standing-room-only crowd of 3,250.
''Unbelievable,'' Morris said of Hernandez. ``He pitched outstanding, and that's what he has done all year.
``It's amazing what he's doing as a freshman.''
Said Hernandez: ``I knew from the beginning it was going to be a good day. The cutter really worked for me tonight. I wasn't nervous. I tried to look at this as another game. I have confidence now because I know I can get hitters out at this level.''
The victory, coupled with a loss Thursday by Florida State, guaranteed the Hurricanes a No. 1 seeding in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament that begins Wednesday in Jacksonville. It raised UM's record to 43-6 overall and 23-3 in the ACC, ensuring the fewest losses ever for Morris in a regular season since he began coaching Miami in 1994.
The Tar Heels dropped to 43-10 and 20-7.
`MORE TO DO'
''A big win for us,'' Morris said. ``Our guys played well. White is an outstanding pitcher who has put up great numbers. To score the number of runs we did out there was big.
``We locked up the division, so that's nice right there. But that's not what it's all about at Miami. We have a lot more to do.''
A UM victory Friday or in Saturday's regular-season finale also would tie the record for the most ACC victories in the regular season by any team in the league -- that, with two prior UM rainouts.
White, who entered the game 8-2 with a 2.36 ERA, lasted 4 1/3 innings, allowing six earned runs, five hits and five walks. He struck out seven.
In all, five North Carolina pitchers walked a season-high 11 batters.
''He was missing both sides of the plate and was trying a little bit too hard,'' Tar Heels coach Mike Fox said of White.
Said Fox of Hernandez: ``He's so poised for a freshman. They didn't have a walk all night. He's got late movement, and if you want a pitcher to have one thing, that's it.''
Before Thursday, White had given up just two home runs all season. Then came Alonso, who now leads the team with a .381 average and leads the ACC with 17 home runs. He said he hit ``a fastball away -- I don't know, a fastball or two-seamer. The guy was throwing hard, and I put a good swing on it. I was a little nervous. The guy is a good pitcher and I thought the whole time, `Good at-bat, just give a good at-bat and things will happen.'
MOMENTUM SHIFT
'As soon as I hit it, I knew I hit it well. It changed the whole momentum. We were losing 1-0 at that point and our coach before that said, `Come on guys, we have to get something going here.' ''
The Tar Heels opened the scoring in the first inning after leadoff hitter Dustin Ackley took the first pitch and singled to left-center, and scored later when Chad Flack hit a deep ground ball to second baseman Jemile Weeks, who took it on a short hop and threw off balance.
The ball skipped away from Alonso at first base, and it was ruled an RBI single.
