CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The Virginia Tech baseball team battled eleventh-ranked Miami in an ACC pitcher’s duel at Alex Rodriguez Park on Friday night, but eventually fell 4-1 to the Hurricanes before a crowd of 3,000 fans.

Miami limited the Hokies to a season-low two hits in the game, and improved its record to 28-13 overall and 12-10 in league play. Tech lost its fourth straight and dropped to 24-16 with a 9-12 ACC mark.

Things looked promising for Tech in the early going, as center fielder Steve Bumbry got the Hokies on the board in their first time up. After taking the first pitch he saw to left-center field for a double, he then swiped third base for his eighth steal of the year. Two batters later, Miami starting pitcher Chris Hernandez uncorked a wild ball four to Tech’s Anthony Sosnoskie, and Bumbry raced home as the ball got past the catcher.

Miami did the Hokies one better in the home half of the first, plating a pair to take a 2-1 lead. Scott Lawson led off with a bunt single before stealing second and scoring on a triple to right-center field by Jason Hagerty. Chris Herrmann then brought home Hagerty with an RBI groundout to second base.

That’s all the offense the game would see until the bottom of the eighth inning, when Miami catcher Yasmani Grandal sent a two-run homer to left field, driving in Herrmann and giving the Hurricanes some cushion for closer Kyle Bellamy, who recorded his 11^th save of the season.

Hernandez allowed just one hit and three walks, but was forced to leave the game after 6.1 innings when he was hit in the face by a batted ball in the seventh. He was credited with the win and improved to 5-3 on the year. Reliever Daniel Miranda gave up the Hokies’ only other hit, a single by right fielder Mike Kaminski, in 1.1 innings of work.

Tech starter Rhett Ballard worked five innings and worked out of many a jam, eventually leaving with a line of six strikeouts, six hits, four walks and two runs. He was tagged with the loss, though, and saw his record drop to 5-3. Reliever Jesse Hahn looked solid in two hitless innings before running into some trouble in the eighth. He struck out two and allowed two hits.

Game two of the three-game series is scheduled for Saturday at 7 p.m. It will be televised Comcast Sports Southeast.