The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
#19 Houston
No. 19 Houston Salvages Game Three Victory Against UAB
4/20/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 20, 2008
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Having already clinched the series against 19th-ranked Houston, the UAB Blazers couldn't keep up with the Cougar offense as Houston salvaged a 10-4 victory at Young Memorial Field Sunday afternoon. UAB posted its first Conference USA series win after winning games one and two.
Houston helped its second place standing in Conference USA with Sunday's win as it improves to 25-14 (8-4 C-USA). UAB drops to 17-22 (3-9 C-USA) with the loss.
The series win for UAB marks the first time the Blazers have taken a series from Houston since 1997.
First baseman Ryan Keedy led the Blazers at the plate Sunday by going 3-for-4 to record his 23rd multiple hit game of the season. Keedy had a double in the ninth to bring his Conference USA-leading total to 19, which ties him for fifth all-time at UAB for single-season doubles.
Right fielder Brint Hardy was 2-for-3 with a stolen base, while catcher Allen Aubin was 1-for-2 with two RBI.
Houston was led by third baseman Bryan Pounds who finished 2-for-3 with three RBI and two runs scored.
Chase Dempsay (4-1) earned the win on the mound for Houston after pitching 4.1 innings of relief in which he gave up just one hit while striking out six and issuing no walks.
Kyle Roberson (4-4) pitched well for most of the afternoon but a five-run fourth inning labeled him as the losing pitcher. Roberson ended his day with 6.1 innings pitched in which he allowed seven runs on nine hits.
"This was a good week for our guys, we just happened to run into a really good arm today and I would tip my hat to Dempsay because that was a special outing," said UAB head coach Brian Shoop. "We made a couple mistakes in the five-run inning but it was a good weekend for our guys and I'm really proud of them."
UAB scored first for the first time in the series when Aubin singled home center fielder Cody McMurry in the bottom of the second.
The lead was short lived for the Blazers as Houston came around in the top of the fourth and scored five runs on five hits. The first five Cougar batters in the inning came around to score with first baseman Jimmy Cesario providing the biggest hit of the inning with a two-run double to left-center to help Houston take a 5-1 lead.
"They centered some balls and we walked a guy in the mix and we didn't get a base covered in a key situation," Shoop said of the Houston rally. "Big innings kill you and we weren't able to answer the bell today because Dempsay was just too good."
UAB got one run back in the bottom of the fourth when a sacrifice fly by Aubin scored Keedy to cut the deficit to 5-2, but then Houston got back-to-back two-out doubles by left fielder Jake Stewart and Pounds in the fifth to regain a four-run lead, 6-2.
Houston went on to add one run in both the seventh and eighth and then two more runs in the ninth to pull ahead 10-2.
The Blazers managed to get two finals runs home in the bottom half of the ninth. Shortstop Jonathan Merritt walked and stole two bases to put him in position to score on an RBI single up the middle by left fielder Phil Bell. Bell then scored on a double to right field by Keedy to round out the scoring.
The Blazers will be back in action on Tuesday when they play host to Jacksonville State at Young Memorial Field at 6:30 p.m.
