The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
UT Martin
Blazers Rally Late To Complete Weekend Sweep Of UT Martin
3/20/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 20, 2011
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The UAB baseball team rallied for six runs in the eighth inning Sunday to overcome a four-run deficit and close out a three-game sweep of UT Martin with an 8-6 win at Young Memorial Field.
Keith DePew went 3-for-4 for UAB and drove in three runs with a key double in the eighth-inning rally. Nick Crawford and Ivan De Jesus had two hits each for the Blazers.
UAB improved to 11-8 with the win and posted its third sweep of a weekend series this season. UT Martin dropped to 4-15 with the loss.
"We're just grinding right now," UAB head coach Brian Shoop said. "We're struggling to score runs, but you just try to win as many as you can while you're grinding. Hopefully we can start scoring a few more runs, but the kids are playing hard."
The Blazers had a hard time generating offense through seven innings against UT Martin starter Alex Boshers, scoring just two fourth-inning runs on a pair of sacrifice flies. But UAB made its move against three UT Martin relievers when the Skyhawks went to their bullpen in the eighth.
UAB loaded the bases on a pair of walks and a hit batter before UT Martin's third reliever of the inning, Colton Young, took the mound. The first batter he faced was DePew, who laced a double to the right center field gap, clearing the bases and bringing the Blazers within one run at 6-5.
The Skyhawks were nearly out of the inning with two outs and DePew standing at third base when Jamal Austin appeared to ground out to first base. But Austin was awarded first on a catcher's interference call to keep the inning alive. He then stole second to put two runners in scoring position.
Crawford then tied the game with an infield single that scored DePew, and a UT Martin throwing error on the play also allowed Austin to score from second and give UAB the lead. De Jesus later singled home Crawford to close the scoring and put the Blazers on top 8-6.
"Nobody is hitting their way to big innings on their own these days," Shoop said. "They doubled to score some runs after we helped them (in the fifth inning), and we doubled after they helped us (in the eighth). But you still have to get those big hits, and that was a big double by Keith."
Ryan Nance came in from right field to pitch the ninth inning for UAB. He walked the bases loaded with two outs but managed to get a ground ball back to the mound from UT Martin pinch hitter Drew Mason and threw on to first to close out the game.
Nance, who has still not allowed a run in 11.2 innings of relief this spring, picked up his fourth save of the year and his second of the weekend. Mark McKinley earned the win out of the UAB bullpen, throwing scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth to keep the deficit at four runs before UAB's comeback.
The Blazers used a total of six pitchers in the game, including starter Michael Busby, who held UT Martin scoreless but left the game on a pitch count after the third inning.
The Skyhawks did most of their damage with five runs in the fifth against UAB reliever David Hayes. UT Martin's Cody Terry doubled home two of those runs, but UAB also helped the Skyhawks' cause with three walks and an error. UT Martin then added another run in the sixth on an RBI double from Trey Karlen to open up its four-run lead.
Terry finished with two hits to lead UT Martin at the plate, while Cory Stooksbury also had a pair of hits and scored two runs.
UAB returns to action on Tuesday with a 6 p.m. CT game at Alabama. That contest will serve as the Blazers' final tune-up before opening Conference USA action next weekend at Marshall.
