The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Savannah State
Blazers Explode Offensively Saturday In 20-2 Victory
3/28/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 28, 2009
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The UAB baseball team racked up a season-high 25 hits, and eight different Blazers recorded multiple hits in a 20-2 victory over Savannah State on Saturday at Young Memorial Field.
The 20 runs were also the most this season for UAB (13-10), which has now taken the first two games of the weekend from Savannah State (14-13). The teams will meet again Sunday at 1 p.m. CT in the final game of the three-game series.
Kyle Roberson earned the win on the mound for UAB in Saturday's game, allowing one run through 5.0 innings while striking out a career-best seven batters. Savannah State starter Eric Ransom took the loss, surrendering eight runs in 2.0 innings.
After Luke Stewart singled two runs home in the first inning Saturday, UAB scored 10 of its 20 runs in the third frame to take control of the game early.
UAB sent 15 batters to the plate in the third, including nine before ever recording an out. The Blazers hit back-to-back home runs for the second consecutive game as Stewart belted a two-run homer in the inning and Austin Taylor followed with a solo shot. A day earlier, it was Digger Towe and Stewart who went back-to-back.
Stewart has now homered three times in the past two games and leads UAB with eight home runs on the season. Taylor's home run, which followed Stewart's to almost the same spot in center field, was his second of the year.
After Taylor's home run, Allen Aubin was hit by a pitch and Andrew Manning singled before the next three batters continued the scoring. A run-scoring double from Keith DePew, a three-RBI triple from Jonathan Merritt and an RBI single from Brint Hardy pushed four more runs across. The Blazers then added two more on bases-loaded wild pitches and another on an RBI single from Taylor -- in his second at-bat of the inning -- to push their lead to 12-0.
Merritt finished the game a home run shy of the cycle, logging his first triple of the year in the 10-run third inning, while also notching a single in the second and his team-leading 14th double of the year in the fourth.
Merritt's double was part of a four-run fourth inning that was highlighted by a three-run shot from Towe, his fifth long ball of the year. Towe now leads UAB for the season with a .425 batting average and 34 RBI in just 20 games played.
The Blazers tacked on three more runs in the sixth inning and another in the seventh to reach their total of 20.
Merritt, Hardy, Towe and Danny Volk each collected three hits in the game for UAB. For Volk, who entered the game in the fifth inning, Saturday's effort marked the first three hits of his collegiate career. Trey Early also notched his first career hit off the UAB bench.
Stewart, Taylor, DePew and Kevin Cope recorded two hits apiece for UAB, which saw 17 position players get in the game. Ten different Blazers drove in at least one run in the contest, led by Stewart's four.
After Roberson left the game for UAB, relievers Trey Vice, Robert Brewster, Tristan Farrell and Jeff Younger each came out of the bullpen to throw an inning apiece.
Savannah State's Dexter Kelley and Julius Green tallied two hits each to lead the Tigers, who scored one run in the fifth and added another in the ninth. The Tigers used six pitchers in Saturday's game.
