Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Blazers outlast Bulldogs 17-7
Coach Brian Shoop knew the possibility existed for a fast start for the UAB baseball team. “Hitting's contagious... and this was a windy night, so that had the makings of an offensive night,” said Shoop, who's Blazers lived up to that expectation, scorching Samford pitching for three home runs in the first inning on the way to a 17-7 victory at Young Memorial Field.
Blazers lead off man Jonathan Merritt got things rolling, blasting the first pitch by Bulldog pitcher Kyle Putkonen for a home run. Two of the next three hitters for UAB followed suit, including back to back jacks by Brint Hardy and Cody McMurray.
Tonight's offensive fireworks were more of the same for the Blazers, coming on the heels of a 39 run performance this weekend when they swept Savannah State in three games. The loss drops Samford to 10-16 (6-6 Southern), while the win moves the Blazers win streak to four. UAB is 15-10 (1-2 C-USA) on the season.
The Blazers' top hitters lived up to expectations all night. Rightfielder Hardy was 2 for 4 including the home run, and C Digger Towe, who's 3 for 4 performance raised his average to .440 on the season. Jonathan Meritt was 3 for 5 from the lead off spot.
Also standing out for the Blazers was CF Jamal Austin, who was 2 for 3 from the 9 spot. Austin flashed his explosive speed by scoring on a short wild pitch just after legging out a triple in the third inning. “He plays at a different gear, than most guys play at,” said Shoop after the game.
Samford answered UAB's hot start with a run of their own in the top of the second, but UAB fired back with a second 3 spot in as many innings. The Blazers continued to score every inning, eventually racking up an 11-2 lead after 7.
The Samford bats finally woke up in the top of the 8th inning, as the Bulldogs put on a power display of their own, also hitting three home runs in four at-bats. Joe Durham, Mason Meredeth, and David Schulze went long for Samford all sandwiched around a Stephen Ballard double. The Bulldogs totaled 5 runs in the inning, and things were finally looking interesting.
UAB, however, blew things open in the bottom half, with 6 more runs pushing the game out of reach for the Bulldogs. The Blazers did it with small ball this time, scoring with six hits (none larger than a double) and a Samford error.
Beau Pender earned his second win of the year, only allowing two hits and one run through three innings of work, while striking out four. Kyle Putkonen took the loss for Samford, giving up 10 earned runs through only three and a third innings of work.
The teams will complete their two game midweek series tomorrow on Samford's campus. The game is scheduled for 6 PM.
