The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
at Troy
Blazers Rally For 10-8 Victory At Troy
4/27/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 27, 2005
TROY, Ala.-- UAB stole a season-high eight bases as a team and leadoff batter Clint Toomey went 3-for-3 with three RBI and reached base safely six times as UAB took a 10-8 victory over the Trojans on Wednesday afternoon at Riddle-Pace Field. UAB is now 26-15 overall while the Trojans fall to 29-12.
Ryan Huffman held the Trojans at bay over two innings of scoreless relief to pick up the victory and improve to 5-0 on the season. Closer Eric Roberts finished off Troy in the eighth and ninth innings to earn his team-leading ninth save.
Troy jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Adam Godwin drew a leadoff walk, stole his 68th base of the season, then scored on consecutive groundouts. With two outs, Henry Gutierrez then blasted his team-best 14th home run over the left field wall, a solo shot giving the Trojans a two-run lead.
Seth Rollin led off the top of the second with a solo home run to left field which made the score 2-1 and tied Rollin for the team-lead with seven homers on the season. With two outs and runners on second and third, Levi Patmon lined a single through the left side of the infield. Ryan Metcalf who had doubled came around to score, and Clint Toomey scampered home from second slid around the tag of Gutierrez at the plate to give UAB a 3-2 advantage.
With the game tied at four in the bottom of the fourth, Troy put their first two runners on base. Nick Smith led the inning off with a double into the left-center field gap and Dru Rymer drew a walk from UAB starter Randy Mills. After a pitching change was made to bring in Heath Tapscott, Jared Keel reached on a bunt single to load the bases. Tapscott then got Chase Amis to ground into a 6-4-3 double play which plated Smith with the go-ahead run.
The Blazers wasted no time reclaiming the lead in the top of the fifth inning. Cole Helms drew a leadoff walk, then Zac Ward singled with one out. After a walk to Metcalf loaded the bases with two outs, Toomey ripped a two-run single up the middle to give UAB a 6-5 advantage.
After the Trojans grabbed a 7-6 lead in the bottom of the fifth, Dan Stucky hit his first home run of the season, a solo shot over the left-center field wall to tie the game again.
Metcalf reached on a two-out base on balls in the top of the seventh, then stole second after two pickoff attempts to first by Troy reliever Pete Van Horn. With Toomey batting, Van Horn uncorked a wild pitch which sent Metcalf toward third base. Trojan catcher Gutierrez got to the ball quickly and looked to have a good shot at throwing out Metcalf, but his throw to third skipped into left field, allowing Metcalf to come home with the go-ahead run.
UAB added an insurance run in the top of the eighth inning when Nathan McCorkle scored from third on a double steal when Stucky forced himself to get caught in a rundown at first. Stucky took off for second base, and at the same time, McCorkle headed for the plate and was able to beat the throw from first baseman Clint Robinson.
The Blazers return to action this weekend when they host Charlotte for a three-game series at Young Memorial Field. Game one between UAB and the 49ers is set for Friday at 7 p.m.
