The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
PURDUE
No. 32 UAB Tops Purdue 13-4
3/14/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 14, 2004
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - UAB posted 13 runs on 16 hits to claim a 13-4 victory over Purdue in baseball action Sunday afternoon at Young Memorial Field.
The 32nd-ranked Blazers were led by left fielder Jeremy Moran who went 3-for-4 with a three-run homer and three runs scored; third baseman Zac Ward who went 3-for-3 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored; designated hitter Nathan McCorkle who was 3-for-5 with a home run, three RBI and three runs scored; and shortstop Dan Stucky who was 2-for-5 with a three-run homer and two runs scored.
UAB (11-5) took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when McCorkle doubled to right field, scoring first baseman Daniel Hill.
Purdue (3-6) tied the score in the top of the second inning when second baseman Eric Osborn doubled to right field, scoring right fielder Matt Bush.
The Blazers got out to a 3-1 advantage in the bottom of the second. Ward doubled to left field, allowing Moran to score UAB's first run of the inning. Second baseman Josh Miljavac later singled up the middle, scoring Ward.
McCorkle homered to right field in the bottom of the third inning to give UAB a 4-1 lead.
UAB took a 7-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning on a three-run home run to right field by Stucky.
The Blazers added a run in the bottom of the fifth inning when Moran singled up the middle, allowing McCorkle to score his second run of the contest.
Purdue answered with three runs in the top of the sixth inning. The Boilermakers' first run of the inning came when designated hitter Ben Fritz grounded out to first base, allowing center fielder Mike Coles to score from third base. First baseman Eric Wolfe followed with a ground out to second base, scoring left fielder Mitch Hilligoss from third. Purdue's final run of the inning came when Bush singled to right field, scoring third baseman Simon Klink.
UAB countered with four runs in the bottom of the sixth. McCorkle got his third RBI of the game when he singled up the middle, allowing Miljavac to score the Blazers' first run of the inning. Moran later hit a three-run homer to right center field. UAB led 12-4.
The Blazers added a run in the bottom of the eighth inning when Ward collected his second RBI of the game with a single up the middle that scored Moran.
Blazer starter Jeff Brown (2-1) picked up the win for UAB after working eight innings and allowing four runs, three of which were earned, on nine hits. He struck out two and did not issue a walk. Ryan Huffman pitched the final inning for the Blazers and issued one walk before retiring the final two batters.
Boilermaker starter Chris Toneguzzi (1-2) took the loss for Purdue after pitching three and two-thirds innings and allowing seven runs on nine hits. He struck out three and did not issue a walk.
Purdue won two games out of the three-game set with UAB as the Boilermakers won a 7-6 decision Friday night and pulled out a 4-2 win Saturday afternoon.
The Blazers return home to Young Memorial Field Tuesday to take on in-state foe Jacksonville State at 6 p.m.
UAB begins Conference USA play over the weekend as the team will host Louisville in a three-game series Friday-Sunday at Young Memorial Field. Friday, the teams square off at 7 p.m., Saturday's game begins at 2 p.m. and Sunday's first pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
The UAB-Louisville series will be broadcast via the world wide web on the Blazers' official athletics website, www.uabsports.com.
For those who are not Yahoo! subscribers, a monthly subscription can be purchased for $4.95 per month and a season-long subscription may be purchased for $14.95. To listen to the broadcast, click on either "UAB Audio Broadcasts" or "Multimedia" from the UAB athletics website's main page and follow the links.
