The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Hawaii-Hilo
Blazers Win Game Two To Spilt Doubleheader At Hawaii-Hilo
3/9/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 9, 2008
HILO, Hawaii - After losing the first game of a doubleheader at Hawaii-Hilo, 3-2, on Saturday, the UAB baseball team came back and won the second game, 8-5. Third baseman Luke Stewart was 2-for-2 with an RBI and two walks to lead the Blazers in game two.
Blake Huddleston (1-0) threw 5.0 solid innings to earn the win in his first career start in game two. Huddleston allowed just one run, struck out three and issued no walks. Shay Crawford got his first save of the season after throwing the final two innings.
Clayton Uyechi (1-1) got the loss for Hawaii-Hilo after giving up four runs in 3.2 innings.
Blazer catcher Allen Aubin had his first three-hit game of the season, going 3-for-5 with a run scored. First baseman Ryan Keedy was 2-for-5 with a run scored to move his hit streak to six games.
Right fielder Brint Hardy was 1-for-5 with two RBI.
Hawaii-Hilo was led by first baseman Alvis Satele, who went 3-for-5 with three RBI.
Looking to sway the momentum after letting game one of the doubleheader get away, UAB came out and scored three runs in the top of the first in game two. Shortstop Jonathan Merritt doubled to lead off the game and later scored on a single by left fielder Phil Bell.
Bell later scored on a single by center fielder Austin Taylor. Keedy also scored in the inning on a sacrifice fly by Stewart.
Hawaii-Hilo got on the board in the second when center fielder Dayne Ogawa drove a home run over the left-center field wall for a solo shot to cut the UAB lead to 3-1.
The Blazers later regained a three-run lead, 4-1, when right fielder Brint Hardy scored on a wild pitch in the fourth.
UAB extended its lead to 6-1 in the fifth when Aubin and second baseman Nick Crawford were brought home on a sacrifice fly by Merritt and a ground out by Hardy, respectively.
Still leading 6-1 in the bottom of the eighth, right-hander Brandon Flaherty, who was tabbed with the loss in game one of the doubleheader, came on in relief for the Blazers and walked two Vulcans and hit another to load the bases and end his day.
Left-hander Shay Crawford came in for Flaherty and gave up a three-run double to left-center field by Satele, which cut the Blazer lead to 6-4.
Crawford would settle in from there as he went on to get back-to-back strikeouts to get out of the inning with a two-run lead.
The Blazers added two insurance runs in the ninth as Stewart scored on a bases loaded walk by second baseman Nick Crawford and designated hitter Cody McMurry scored on a fielder's choice to second base by Hardy.
UH-Hilo got one last run in the ninth before Crawford closed out the game for his first career save.
The Blazers and Vulcans will play the third and final game of the series on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. HT at Wong Stadium.
