The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
#16 Alabama
Blazers Lose on the Road at No. 16 Alabama
2/28/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 28, 2007
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The 16th-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide used 18 singles to earn a 16-0 victory against the UAB Blazers Wednesday afternoon at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. UAB freshman shortstop Jonathan Merritt was 2-for-3 in the game, however it was not enough as the Crimson Tide rallied behind catcher Ryan Rhoden's school record tying five-hit performance.
The Blazers are now 2-6, while Alabama improves to 9-2.
UAB was held to three hits in the game, two off of Merritt's bat and the other coming from senior outfielder Levi Patmon who was 1-for-2 in the contest.
Wednesday's game was the first time UAB has been shut out all season and Alabama's 16 runs were the most given up by the Blazers this year. It was the first time since 1998 that the Tide shutout UAB.
Crimson Tide right-hander Bernard Robert earned the win after pitching five shutout innings. Junior righty Brandon Wallace (0-2) was tabbed with the loss after his 3.2 innings of work in which he gave up six earned runs.
Rhoden finished the game 5-for-5 at the plate with two RBI and two runs scored. UA designated hitter Alex Avila was 3-for-5 with three RBI.
Alabama used a pair of singles and a double to get on the board first in the second inning. The Tide's Rhoden led off the inning with a single and later scored on an RBI single by the shortstop Greg Paiml who in turn scored when center fielder Emeel Salem came up an belted a one-run double to left-center to give the Tide a 2-0 lead.
The Blazers threatened in the third when Patmon led off the inning with a single before Robert walked senior catcher Danny Sawyer and then hit senior outfielder Steven Turner to load the bases with two outs. With two out, junior first baseman Ryan Keedy dug in and took a 1-1 pitch to left field where Alabama's Kent Matthes settled under it and hauled it in to end the inning with three runners left on base.
The Tide added one more run in the third when Avila led off with a single and was later singled home by third baseman Brandon May to extend the Alabama lead to 3-0.
Adding to its lead, Alabama's Matthes singled home two more runs in the fourth and then first baseman Matt Bentley singled home another to make it 6-0.
The Tide put the game out of reach in the fifth inning, scoring a total of 10 runs after the first seven batters in the inning came around to score and help bring the count to 16-0.
The Blazers will be back in action on Friday when they begin a three-game weekend series with Central Arkansas at 3 p.m. at Young Memorial Field.
