The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Brown
Blazers Let Lead Slip Away In Eighth, Lose 8-5
3/2/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 2, 2008
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - After taking the lead in the seventh inning, the UAB baseball team saw its lead evaporate in the top of the eighth as the Brown Bears put up five runs in the inning to pull away for an 8-5 victory at Young Memorial Field Sunday afternoon. Each team won two games in the four-game series to earn the split as UAB is now 4-5, while Brown is 2-2.
Anthony Vita (1-1), who was tabbed with the loss in game one of the series, earned the win on the mound for Brown Sunday after throwing 1.1 innings of relief in which he shut down the Blazers following their three-run seventh.
Senior Dustin Colburn (0-1) got the loss on the hill for the Blazers after he allowed two runs in one inning of relief.
Sophomore Shay Crawford started on the mound for the Blazers and gave the team six innings of work in which he struck out five and allowed two earned runs.
Senior first baseman Ryan Keedy was once again the driving force behind the Blazer offense as he went 2-for-3 with two runs scored, an RBI and two walks. Sophomore third baseman Luke Stewart also had two hits in the game, finishing the day 2-for-4 with an RBI and two doubles.
Four Brown hitters finished the day with multiple hits as third baseman Robert Papenhause and catcher Matt Colantonio were each 2-for-3, while outfielders Steve Daniels and Ryan Murphy were both 2-for-5.
The Blazers trailed 3-1 heading to the bottom of the seventh when the Blazer offense came alive. Freshman second baseman Nick Crawford got hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and later scored on an RBI-single to center field by Keedy, who then scored on a triple to left field by junior Cody McMurry.
McMurry later crossed home plate for the third and final run of the inning on a wild pitch by Bear reliever Matt Boylan to give UAB its first lead of the game, 6-5.
UAB's lead would be short-lived however, as the Bears came back to post a five-run eighth inning on just two hits. Two costly errors helped aid the big-inning for the Bears who pulled ahead 8-4 heading to the ninth.
The Blazers managed to plate one last run in the ninth when Keedy scored on a double to deep center field by Stewart, but that would be all they'd get, as Brown held on for the 8-5 victory.
UAB will now go on a season-long six game road trip beginning Tuesday at Jacksonville State at 6:30 p.m.
