The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
#14 Arizona State
UAB Baseball Drops Final Game Against No. 14 Arizona State
2/25/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 25, 2007
TEMPE, Ariz.-- A series-high five runs would not be enough as the UAB baseball team lost the final game of its three-game series at No. 14 Arizona State Sunday afternoon, 12-5, at Packard Stadium. Senior first baseman Ryan Keedy led the Blazers with his 3-for-4 performance at the plate, driving in one run and scoring another.
Arizona State improves to 10-3 with the victory, while UAB falls to 2-5.
Sun Devil right-hander Dustin Brader earned the victory after giving his team four innings of relief in which he struck out four batters. UAB freshman lefty Shay Crawford was tabbed with the loss after throwing one inning in which he allowed four earned runs.
Senior outfielder Steven Turner was 1-for-4 with a run scored and a stolen base, while senior third baseman Ryne Lovdahl was 0-for-2 with two walks and a run scored.
ASU Catcher Petey Paramore led the Sun Devils by going 3-for-3 with three RBI and two runs scored on the day.
For the second-straight day ASU jumped on the Blazers early. The Sun Devils' first three batters all scored with two of those crossing on an RBI single up the middle by catcher Petey Paramore to give ASU an early 3-0 lead.
After the Blazers went down one-two-three in the top of the second, the Sun Devils came back in the bottom half and added four more runs on four hits to build their lead to 7-0. Right fielder Ike Davis had the biggest hit of the inning with an RBI double to right field.
Freshman shortstop Jonathan Merritt got the Blazers offense started in the third when he delivered a one-out single to center field and then stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Merritt eventually scored when Keedy stepped in and drilled the first pitch he saw up the middle for an RBI single to cut the ASU lead to 7-1.
Arizona State came back to score one in the fourth when left fielder Scott Spencer singled home Davis to make it 8-1.
In the top of the fifth, UAB got another run on the board when senior outfielder Steven Turner singled up the middle before stealing second. Turner would use his speed to score from second on a Keedy single through the left side.
The UAB bats just couldn't keep up with the Sun Devils' firepower as a Brett Wallace two-run home run over the right field wall in the fifth made it 10-2. Wallace's homer was the first allowed by the Blazers this season.
UAB's final runs of the game came in the seventh when Keedy and Lovdahl were driven home on ground outs by senior outfielder J.R. Bond and sophomore outfielder Brint Hardy, respectively. Sophomore pinch-runner Mikael Saway also scored in the inning when he crossed home on a wild pitch to cut the deficit to 11-5.
ASU added their final run of the game in the eighth when Paramore scored on a fielder's choice.
The Blazers will next be in action on Wednesday when they travel to take on Alabama in Tuscaloosa at 3 p.m.
