The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Southern Miss
Blazers' Seventh Inning Rally Comes Up One Run Short
4/22/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 22, 2007
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB softball team's late-inning rally came up short in the final game of the series against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles (17-31, 7-9 C-USA), as the Blazers fell 4-3 at George Ward Park. The loss drops UAB to 29-24 overall and 10-10 in Conference USA.
Brittany Hodge (2-3) started in the circle for UAB in the circle and tossed four solid innings, giving up one run on three hits while striking out three. Jennifer Nelson (19-12) was tagged with the loss, going three innings and allowing three runs on three hits while fanning one.
UAB took a 1-0 lead in the first inning thanks to a pair of singles and a Southern Miss error. Shorstop Holly Krzan singled and second baseman Leigh Walker followed with another single to leftfield. Krzan made her way around the bases as the leftfielder misplayed the ball, scoring all the way from first to give the Blazers an early lead.
Krzan crossed the plate again in the third after she doubled to left and Rogers knocked her in with a double to right-center, putting UAB up 2-0.
The Golden Eagles got on the board with a run on a walk and a double in the fourth to make it 2-1.
Southern Miss added another run in the fifth on a double and a single to tie the game at two.
UAB threatened to break the tie in the bottom half of the inning, loading the bases with no outs. But the Golden Eagles turned a double play and fielded a groundout to get out of the jam.
Southern Miss took a two-run lead in the sixth after a pair of walks and a two-RBI single plated two runs.
The Blazers had a chance to respond in the bottom of the sixth as pinch-hitter Krystal Johnson started a two-out rally with a single to right-centerfield. Pinch-hitter Kayla Harris made it back-to-back singles when she slapped one down the leftfield line. Centerfielder Lindsay Stanley made it three singles in a row, but a base-running mistake proved costly for the Blazers, as the Golden Eagles got the final out of the inning in a run down between third base and home plate.
UAB would not go away easily though, rallying again in the bottom of the seventh. Catcher Andrea Rogers was hit by a pitch, putting a runner at first. Down to their last out, first baseman Amanda Antonovich hit a fly ball into centerfield for the Blazers, but the ball bounced off the glove of the centerfielder and Rogers sped around the bases to bring UAB within one run. But UAB came up short on a routine ground ball for the final out of the game, giving Southern Miss the 4-3 victory.
Despite losing the final game, the Blazers took two out of three to win the series, marking the first time ever that UAB has taken a series from Southern Miss.
UAB will wrap up its conference season on the road next weekend. The Blazers will travel to Tennessee to face the Memphis Tigers for a three-game series, with a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 1:00 p.m. and the final game on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
