The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Kennesaw State
UAB Baseball Drops Nailbiter to Kennesaw State
3/29/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 29, 2006
KENNESAW, Ga. - The UAB baseball team clawed back from a three-run deficit in the ninth, and was a swing of the bat away from tying the game, but was unable to complete the comeback, falling to Kennesaw State 8-6 at Stillwell Stadium on Wednesday night in a drama-filled contest.
This setback evens the Blazers' record at 13-13, as the Green and Gold have struggled of late, losing six in a row. Freshman Kyle Roberson took the loss for UAB, as he lasted 2.1 innings in his third start of the season. The native of Clay, Ala., battled on the rubber, allowing two hits and striking out one.
The Blazer bullpen continued to be a brick wall against opposing hitters, as Grant Addison, Mitch Thorn and Drew Murray combined for 5.2 innings of dominant baseball. The trio allowed only two earned runs on the evening, while striking out five. Addison hurled a season high 3.2 innings, punching out three Owl hitters and allowing only one hit during his tenure.
UAB's bats got going against Kennesaw pitchers, pounding out 15 hits on the evening. The top three hitters in the lineup were especially deadly, as Steven Turner, Ryan Metcalf and Danny Sawyer went 8-for-13 with four RBIs in tonight's contest.
Turner had a career day for the Blazers, going 3-for-4 at the plate, to go with a walk and a hit by pitch, reaching base five times out of the leadoff spot. Those three hits were a career high at UAB for Turner, as the junior from Birmingham, also added his sixth double of the season.
Metcalf added two hits out of the two hole, plating two RBIs with a single in the second inning and a bases loaded walk in the ninth. Sawyer continued his hot hitting, going 3-for-6 on the evening with a double. In what was a homecoming for the junior, who hails from Suwanee, Ga., Sawyer had three RBIs to raise his season total to 24. Billy Lichtner and Jorge Gutierrez also had two hits for Giangrosso.
UAB struck first, scoring a run in the top of the second to take a quick 1-0 lead. Ryne Lovdahl reached on an error to start off the frame, and he moved to third on a Gutierrez line drive shot into left. Metcalf delivered the clutch blow, singling into left to score Lovdahl. The Blazers tried to push another run across, but the Kennesaw left fielder gunned down Gutierrez trying to score from second.
The Owls quickly retaliated, pushing five runs across in their next two times at bat. The Green and Gold would cut the lead to 5-2 in the top of the third, as Zac Ward's RBI singled closed the gap. Kennesaw would tack on one more run, making it 6-2 going in to the sixth inning. It was then that UAB first began its attempt to pull off the comeback.
The Blazers first two hitters were retired quickly in the top of the frame, but the inning was far from over. Three straight hits with two outs would score two runs to bridge the gap to 6-4. Singles by Turner and Metcalf set the table, with Sawyer line drive into the left field corner scoring them both to close the lead. Sawyer would come around just one hitter later, scoring on an error by the shortstop to make it 6-5. The Owls scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh to make it 8-5, as UAB attempted to muster one last comeback in its final at bat.
Again, the first two hitters of the inning for Giangrosso's squad went down quietly, but another two out rally started when Gutierrez lined a 2-1 pitch into left center for his second hit of the night. Pinch hitter Donny Muth was next up, smashing a base hit through the left side to put two runners on with two outs. After a battle against the Kennesaw closer, Turner was hit by a slider to load the bases. Metcalf worked a walk, scoring Gutierrez and putting the tying run at second base. That's where it would end, as the Owls slammed the door on the Blazers, inducing a groundout to end the ballgame.
UAB continues on the road this weekend, as it heads to Ruston, La., to play a weekend series against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. First pitch Friday is set for 6:00 p.m., with Saturday's game starting at 3:00 p.m. The series ends on Sunday, with the final game beginning at 1:00 p.m. For complete coverage of the Blazers during the season, check UAB's website, www.uabsports.com.
