May 25, 2008

Box Score

NEW ORLEANS, La. - The UAB baseball team saw its season come to an end Saturday night with a 3-1 loss to fourth-seeded Houston in a semifinal round elimination game at the 2008 Conference USA Championship. Center fielder Zak Presley scored all three runs for the Cougars in a game that didn't end until 12:20 a.m.

Houston improves to 38-22 and advances to the championship game and will play the winner of Southern Miss and Marshall on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. UAB ends the season 26-34.

"You would expect a hitter's dual and it ended up being a pitching dual," said UAB head coach Brian Shoop. "James (Oliver) and Billy (Lichtner) both threw great and their guys were just a little better. We really hit some balls on the screws tonight, they just happened to be right at them and they made some really exceptional plays."

Jared Ray (3-2) was sharp all night long on the mound for Houston, putting together a stretch of 20 straight batters faced without allowing a hit. Ray finished the day with 6.2 innings pitched, no runs allowed and just two hits, while striking out six.

Oliver (4-5) got the loss for UAB after giving up two runs, one earned, in 6.0 innings of work.

The Blazers were held to just five hits in the game. All-Conference USA selections Ryan Keedy and Phil Bell each finished with one hit in the game.

Keedy finishes the season with a .423 batting average which is the third-highest single-season average all-time at UAB. He also finishes the campaign with a school record 29 doubles, 10 home runs and 69 RBI.

"We got hot at the right time at the end of the year," Keedy said following his final game as a Blazer. "Our pitching was great, our defense was great and our hitting was great. The Lord blessed me a lot this season and I was able to see the ball well this year and hopefully I can use the momentum from this season and carry it over to the next level."

Bell finishes his senior campaign with a .314 average to go along with eight homers and 55 RBI.

Presley was 2-for-4 to go with his three runs scored, while shortstop Blake Kelso led Houston with three hits in the game. Third baseman Bryan Pounds finished 2-for-3.

Houston was the first to strike as it got one run home in the top of the second to take a 1-0 lead when designated hitter Caleb Ramsey singled home Presley.

A throwing error on Oliver attempting to put out catcher Austin Goolsby for the third out in the fourth allowed the Cougars to score an unearned run to take a 2-0 lead.

The score remained 2-0 until the top of the eighth when pinch hitter Chris Wallace lined a two-out single through the left side to score Presley for the third time on the day and take a 3-0 advantage.

UAB managed to load the bases with two outs in the bottom of the eighth thanks to a pair of walks and a single Keedy which brought up Bell who flied out to right field to end the inning with Houston still leading, 3-0.

The Blazers went on to score one run in the bottom of the ninth when Lichtner singled to center field to score right fielder Brint Hardy to make it 3-1.