The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Blazers Set For Crucial Conference Series With East Carolina
5/12/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 12, 2005
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The UAB baseball team welcomes East Carolina to town this weekend for a pivotal three-game Conference USA series. Game one is scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m. at Young Memorial Field with Cole Helms (3-2, 3.32 ERA) taking the mound for the Blazers. UAB and the Pirates are currently in a fifth-place tie in the Conference USA standings. Follow all the action live with Gametracker at www.uabsports.com.
The Blazers enter the weekend with a 30-20 overall record after splitting a pair of games against Jacksonville State this week. UAB took an 8-3 victory Tuesday in Jacksonville before falling by a score of 5-1 at home on Wednesday. Randy Mills earned his first victory since March 18 and Cole Helms had a career-high four hits in Tuesday's game. But the UAB offense struggled in game two at Young Memorial Field, managing just one run on J.R. Bond's fifth home run of the season, while the Gamecocks scored four times in the final two innings to earn the 5-1 victory.
The Blazers are 13-11 in C-USA games with just six contests remaining. After the three-game set with East Carolina, UAB travels to Louisville on May 19-21 for the final series of the regular season. East Carolina also enters the weekend 13-11 and will wrap up their schedule at home next weekend against Saint Louis.
The Pirates have a 29-20 overall record after one win and one loss this week. East Carolina was shut out on Tuesday by 23rd-ranked N.C. State, 3-0, before taking an 8-6 victory at UNC Asheville on Wednesday.
The Blazers and Pirates have not met since the 2003 season when East Carolina took two of three games from the Blazers in Greenville, N.C. UAB was also swept by the Pirates in 2002 in Birmingham, the only other times the teams have faced each other on the diamond.
Jeff Brown (7-2, 4.27 ERA) is scheduled to take the mound for the Blazers in Saturday's game two at 2 p.m. UAB's Sunday starter is still yet to be determined.
