The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
SAMFORD
UAB Hammers Samford, 14-4
3/30/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 30, 2005
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The UAB baseball team exploded for 14 runs in the first three innings and never looked back, easily handling Samford by a score of 14-4 on Wednesday evening at Young Memorial Field. Five different players recorded multiple-RBI games for the Blazers who improve to 18-7 overall. One night after knocking off nationally-ranked Auburn, the Bulldogs fall to 6-16 with the loss.
Zac Ward went 2-for-3 with three RBI and three runs for UAB while J.R. Bond went 2-for-4 and drove in two runs. Seth Rollin finished the game 3-for-5 with two RBI also for the Blazers.
UAB freshman Heath Tapscott picked up his second victory of the season with five innings of work, allowing two earned runs and striking out four Bulldog batters.
The Blazers struck first with three runs in the bottom of the first inning. Clint Toomey singled up the middle leading off the inning and moved to second when Bond drew a walk. The next batter was Ward who smacked his team-leading tenth double of the season into the left-center field gap, scoring both Toomey and Bond. An RBI groundout by Cole Helms would plate Ward and give UAB a 3-0 lead.
UAB loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the second inning. Phillip Bell was hit by a pitch, Brett Hall, making the first start of his career, reached on an infield single and Toomey drew a walk. Bond then came through with a soft line-drive single into right field, scoring Bell and Hall and extending the Blazer lead. UAB would add four more runs before the inning came to an end. Helms contributed with a two-run single and Rollin added an RBI double.
The Blazers continued their offensive onslaught in the third inning, scoring five times to take a 14-0 lead. Ward and Rollin contributed RBI singles while Nathan McCorkle hit a laser down the right field line for a two-run double.
Samford got on the board thanks to a two-out, two-run single by John Morgan in the top of the fifth, scoring Daniel Williams and Bill Whitehead.
UAB heads to New Orleans this weekend for a three-game series against second-ranked Tulane. Game one between the Blazers and Green Wave is scheduled for 6:30 pm.
