The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Rice
Towe's Eighth-Inning Blast Lifts UAB Over No. 4 Rice
5/14/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 14, 2009
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Digger Towe pounded a pinch hit, three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning Thursday night to lift UAB to a 7-5 victory over No. 4 Rice in the first game of a three-game series at Young Memorial Field.
After waiting his turn for seven and a half innings, Towe stepped to the plate in the eighth with two outs and runners at first and second. After swinging at the first pitch in the dirt, Towe sent the second offering from Rice relief pitcher Jordan Rogers deep over the right field fence.
The blast turned a 5-4 deficit into a 7-5 advantage and gave the Blazers their first lead of the ballgame.
"When you're pinch hitting, you have to go up there and take your hacks," Towe said. "I got an opportunity when he hung a curve ball, and I just hit it well. I was anxious and ready to swing, and it was a great feeling to put us ahead."
UAB pitcher Blake Huddleston, who had entered in relief of starter Shay Crawford in the seventh inning, went back to the mound to retire the first two batters in the ninth. After allowing a two-out single to Rice's Jess Buenger, Huddleston turned the ball over to Nick Graffeo, who induced a ground ball out from Brock Holt to seal the victory.
Huddleston earned the win with 2.2 scoreless innings to improve to 5-0 on the season, and Graffeo picked up his sixth save of the year. Crawford took a no-decision after surrendering five runs in 6.0 innings. Rogers (7-3), who pitched the final three frames for Rice, took the loss after giving up the home run to Towe.
With the win, UAB improved to 29-23 (10-11 C-USA), while Rice fell to 34-14 (15-7 C-USA). The Blazers secured their spot in next week's Conference USA Championship and will be no worse than the No. 7 seed. With its loss, Rice now finds itself in a tie for first place in the league standings with East Carolina.
The Blazers and Owls will meet again Friday at 7 p.m. (CT) for the second game of the season-ending series. The game will be carried live in Birmingham by WSPZ-AM 690.
Towe came into Thursday's game in the midst of a slump that saw him hitting .220 over his past 12 games and .200 in conference play. Despite those numbers, he entered the Rice series at .331 for the season with a team-best 54 RBI. Thursday's homer was his ninth of the season as he raised that RBI total to 57.
"Digger is a good hitter, and it was the right move to have him pinch hit whether he came through or not," UAB head coach Brian Shoop said. "We planned all game to use him in the right moment, and that was it. I'm really happy for Digger. He's a good kid, and that was a special moment for him and for our team."
Towe's home run capped a comeback for UAB, which trailed 4-1 in the early innings against Rice starter Taylor Wall. The Blazers chipped away with single runs in the third, fourth and sixth innings. Rice also managed a run in the sixth to maintain a two-run lead at 5-4 before the UAB eighth.
Austin Taylor, for whom Towe eventually pinch hit, drove in two of the UAB runs with a solo home run in the third inning and a bases-loaded walk in the fourth. Jonathan Merritt, Andrew Manning and Allen Aubin led the Blazers with two hits each, and Manning scored two runs.
Rice also had three players collect a pair of hits in Jimmy Comerota, Anthony Rendon and Holt. The Owls tallied 12 hits in the game to eight for UAB.
Blazer pitchers struck out nine batters and did not yield a walk, while Rice pitchers struck out nine but also put eight runners aboard with bases on balls.
Thursday night's win marked UAB's second consecutive victory over Rice after the Owls had taken the first 10 games ever played between the two programs. Last season, the Blazers handed Rice -- the No. 1 seed -- an 8-2 defeat in the first round of the Conference USA Championship in New Orleans. The Owls were ranked fifth at the time, the highest ranked opponent UAB had ever beaten until Thursday's victory.
