The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
at Birmingham-Southern
Bell Helps Blazers Top Birmingham-Southern, 6-3
3/23/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 23, 2005
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- UAB freshman Phillip Bell went 2-for4 with a home run and three RBI as the Blazers defeated Birmingham-Southern, 6-3, on Wednesday night at Scrushy-Striplin Field, extending their winning streak to 10 games. The UAB victory also snapped the Panthers' nine-game winning streak. The Blazers are now 16-5 overall while Birmingham-Southern falls to 14-7.
Ryan Huffman picked up the victory in relief for UAB, improving to 3-0 on the season. Huffman did not allow a baserunner and struck out three Birmingham-Southern batters in 1.2 innings pitched. Eric Roberts worked a scoreless ninth to pick up his sixth save of the season and third in as many games.
Heath Tapscott got the start for the Blazers, allowing just one earned run and tying a career-high with seven strikeouts in five innings of work.
Bell started the scoring for UAB in the top of the second inning. With one out, the freshman from Gulf Breeze, Fla. lined the first pitch he saw from Birmingham-Southern pitcher John King over the left field wall for the first home run of his career.
After the Panthers tied the score in the bottom of the third, Zac Ward's second home run of the season gave UAB a 2-1 lead back.
A two-out RBI single by Birmingham-Southern's Blake Burton in the bottom of the fourth scored Pat Mizerany and tied the game at two.
The Blazers reclaimed a one-run lead in the top of the sixth inning. Nathan McCorkle singled up the middle and came around to score three batters later when Bell lined a sacrifice fly to center field.
Burton's second RBI single of the game for the Panthers in the bottom of the sixth tied the game for the third time.
Bell would come through once more for UAB in the top of the eighth inning. With runners on first and second and two outs, Bell lined a two-strike pitch into the right-center field gap, plating Ward with the go-ahead run. Cole Helms had singled leading off the inning, Ward reached on a fielder's choice, and Seth Rollin kept the inning alive for Bell after being hit with a Will Stroup pitch.
UAB added a pair of insurance runs in the top of the ninth. Ryan Metcalf led off with an infield single, and Clint Toomey reached on an error by Panthers' third baseman Pat Mizerany. After Dan Stucky advanced the runners with a sacrifice bunt, Helms was issued an intentional base on balls. With the bases loaded and a full count, McCorkle grounded an RBI single through the right side of the infield. The Blazers plated another run when Toomey scored on a bases-loaded walk to Rollin.
The Blazers head to Houston this weekend for a three-game Conference USA series against the Cougars. Friday's opener is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. at Cougar Field.
