April 11, 2008

Box Score

HOUSTON, Texas - The UAB baseball team trailed 11-1 after the fifth inning and came back to tie the game in the eighth before ultimately losing, 13-11, to No. 7 Rice at Reckling Park Friday night. Center fielder Cody McMurry, who was 3-for-4 in the game, hit a two-run home run in the eighth to tie the game.

Rice improves to 25-10 (8-2 C-USA), while UAB is now 14-18 (1-6 C-USA).

"We hung in there really well against one of the better sophomore pitchers in the country," said UAB head coach Brian Shoop following the game. "We just hung in there and fought really well tonight."

UAB has now scored 36 runs in its three games this week.

McMurry had three runs scored and three RBI to go along with his three hits. Left fielder Phil Bell was 3-for-5, including a double and a triple, to go along with four RBI and three runs scored.

First baseman Ryan Keedy, catcher Allen Aubin and right fielder Brint Hardy all had two hits in aiding the Blazers to out-hitting the Owls, 15-12.

Rice second baseman Jess Buenger was 4-for-5 with three runs scored and three RBI to lead the Owls, while catcher Adam Zornes was 1-for-3 with three RBI that came on three-run home run in the fourth.

Rice closer Cole St. Clair (4-2) got the win on the mound for the Owls after closing out the final 1.1 innings, allowing no hits and striking out two.

Brandon Flaherty (1-2) was tabbed with the loss after throwing a third of an inning in which he allowed the final two Rice runs.

Rice took a 2-0 lead by scoring two unearned runs in the first. A fielding error on Blazer shortstop Jonathan Merritt allowed Owl leadoff hitter Jared Gayheart to reach. Gayheart eventually scored the first run of the game on a single to center field by third baseman Diego Seastrunk.

Buenger scored the second run of the inning on a ground out to third by shortstop Rick Hague.

The Blazers came within one run in the second when McMurry scored on a ground ball up the middle by Aubin to cut the deficit to 2-1.

In the bottom half of the second, the Owls distanced themselves when, with runners on the corners and two outs, Buenger hit a towering shot over the right-center field wall for his first home run of the season to take a 5-2 lead.

The Owls then pulled away in the fourth by scoring six runs thanks to a pair of home runs. First baseman J.P. Padron hit a solo shot to lead off the inning and then, later in the inning, Zorne hit his three-run homer to left field to take an 11-1 lead.

UAB showed resilience the rest of the way and continued to chip away at the Rice lead.

The Blazers got four runs home in the fifth thanks to a two-run triple by Bell and an RBI-single by Keedy that made it 11-5.

Bell came back around in the top of the seventh and led the inning off with a double and then scored on an RBI-single by McMurry. McMurry later scored to make it 11-7 on a double to straightaway center field by third baseman Luke Stewart.

Then, in the top of the eighth, the Blazers found themselves back at square one, as a two-run single to right field by Bell cut the Owl lead to 11-9 and then McMurry dug in and launched his sixth home run of the season over the right field wall to tie the game, 11-11.

After Flaherty came on in relief and loaded the bases in the bottom of the eighth, Kyle Roberson came in looking to get out of the jam with one out and promptly struck out the first batter he faced and then got ahead of right fielder Chad Mozingo, 0-2, before he gave up a two-run single to right field to give the Owls the 13-11 lead.

The Blazers and the Owls will get together for game two of the series Saturday at 2:00 p.m. at Reckling Park.