The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
CINCINNATI*
Blazers Hang On To Defeat Cincinnati, 4-3
4/23/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 23, 2005
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.-- Cole Helms and J.R. Bond each went 2-for-4 with an RBI to lead UAB to a 4-3 victory over Cincinnati on Saturday afternoon at Young Memorial Field. The win was the Blazers' second in as many games against the Bearcats who fall to 16-19, 5-11 in Conference USA. UAB remains undefeated in conference play at home this season and improves to 25-14, 10-7 in C-USA.
UAB starting pitcher Jeff Brown picked up his team-best sixth victory of the season after allowing three runs over six innings of work. Ryan Huffman shut out the Bearcats over the final two innings to collect his third save of the season.
Justin Minges (1-2) suffered the loss for Cincinnati who scattered 11 hits in the game but stranded 14 runners on base.
Trailing by a run in the bottom of the second inning, Cole Helms got the Blazers on the board and tied the score with one swing of the bat. Helms, Friday night's pitching star for UAB, hit the first pitch he saw from Minges over the left field wall for his seventh home run of the season.
The Blazers grabbed the lead with three runs in the bottom of the fifth. Rush Knight led off the inning with an infield single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Ryan Metcalf. Leadoff batter Clint Toomey then grounded a single up the middle, scoring Knight and giving UAB a 2-1 advantage. Nathan McCorkle contributed an RBI groundout later in the inning and J.R. Bond ripped a double down the left field line, scoring Levi Patmon.
Cincinnati climbed back into the game in the top of the seventh inning. Mark Muscenti was hit by a pitch leading off, then Mark Haske singled through the right side of the infield. After UAB reliever Adam Price came in and retired the next two batters, he walked Jim Olds and Logan Parker came through with a two-out, two-run single into the left-center field gap.
The Blazers and Bearcats wrap up their series with game three on Sunday at 1 p.m.
