The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
TENNESSEE TECH
Blazers Wrap Up Series Sweep of Tennessee Tech, 10-5
3/13/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 13, 2005
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- UAB first baseman Nathan McCorkle went 3-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI to help the Blazers finish off a weekend sweep of Tennessee Tech with a 10-5 victory on Sunday afternoon at Young Memorial Field. UAB (11-5) scored 36 runs in the three-game set and ran its winning streak to five games while the Golden Eagles fall to 3-11 with the loss.
All nine UAB starters recorded at least one hit for the second time in three games, and five batters notched multiple-hit games. Clint Toomey was a career-best 4-for-5 and scored four runs in the leadoff spot and improved his season average to .429. McCorkle capped off a monster weekend on Sunday, finishing the series 9-for-13 with three home runs and 10 runs batted in.
Adam Price improves to 2-1 on the season after pitching seven innings and allowing just two earned runs. Eric Roberts recorded the final six outs of the game for UAB to earn his third save of the season.
A sacrifice fly by McCorkle in the bottom of the first inning gave UAB an early 1-0 lead. Toomey had led off with a single up the middle, moved to third when Cole Helms doubled, and scored on McCorkle's deep fly ball to center.
Tennessee Tech tied the score in the top of the second, but the Blazers reclaimed a 4-1 advantage in the bottom of the third. Toomey reached on his second single of the game, stole second base, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored when Golden Eagles' starter Shaun Sheehan balked. With two outs, McCorkle then continued his outstanding hitting on the weekend, smashing his fourth home run of the season over the right field wall. UAB continued its two-out rally with three straight singles by Zac Ward, Seth Rollin and Phillip Bell. Ward plated the fourth run of the inning on Bell's sharp single up the middle.
The Blazer offense continued its onslaught in the bottom of the fourth. Ryan Metcalf led off with a single and came around to score when Toomey nailed a double into the left-center field gap. After a Dan Stucky single up the middle, Helms laced a line-drive sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Toomey for the third time in four innings.
The teams would trade runs throughout the remainder of the game. The Golden Eagles got a two-run home run from Nathan Marty in the top of the fifth and scored twice in the eighth while UAB pushed another run across in the bottom of that inning and got three more in the eighth, thanks in part to McCorkle's second homer of the game.
The Blazers return to action on Tuesday when they host Butler at 6 p.m. at Young Memorial Field.
