The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Marshall
UAB Baseball Loses Lead Late, Falls 3-2 To Marshall
3/26/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 26, 2011
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CHARLESTON, W. Va. -- Ryan Woolley struck out a career-high 12 batters and held Marshall to just one run through his first eight innings Saturday, but the Thundering Herd rallied in its final a-bat as the UAB baseball team lost 3-2 in game two of this weekend's Conference USA series.
UAB (12-10, 1-1 C-USA) lost Saturday's game in the same way it won Friday's series opener as Marshall (9-12, 1-1 C-USA) scored two runs in the ninth inning and plated the game-winner on a wild pitch.
The teams will meet again Sunday at 1 p.m. ET (noon CT) at Appalachian Power Park for the rubber game of the series.
"This one was disappointing because we feel like it's a game we should have won," UAB head coach Brian Shoop said. "But we didn't win it, so we'll come back out here tomorrow and try to get the series."
Saturday's entire game played out almost identically to Friday's series opener on the scoreboard, except in reverse. On Friday, Marshall scored two runs in the first inning, led until the ninth and watched UAB score twice in the final inning to win it.
On Saturday, UAB scored its only runs in the opening frame and made that lead hold up until the ninth.
UAB matched its hit total from the previous night (four) in the first inning on Saturday as it jumped on top early. Ivan De Jesus drove in one first-inning run on a double, and Patrick Palmeiro added an RBI single to stake the Blazers to a 2-0 advantage.
Woolley pitched in dominating fashion with that lead, facing just two over the minimum and allowing only one hit through the game's first eight innings.
Marshall managed its only run against Woolley without the benefit of a base hit in the fourth. Woolley hit Isaac Ballou to open the inning, and Ballou then stole second, advanced to third on a balk and scored on a James Lavinskas sacrifice fly to cut UAB's lead to 2-1.
Woolley then retired the next 14 batters he faced until Marshall's Victor Ramos drew a one-out walk in the bottom of the ninth, giving Marshall life. Pinch runner Justin Maynard stole second, took third on a wild pitch and the scored the tying run on an RBI single by Ballou.
A passed ball sent Ballou to second and ended Woolley's night as the Blazers went to the bullpen for Ben Bullard. The reliever induced a ground ball from Victor Gomez for the second out of the inning as Ballou moved to third. After an intentional walk to James Lavinskas and with Rhett Stafford at the plate, Bullard threw a pitch high and just over the outstretched arm of catcher Jacob German, allowing Ballou to score the winning run.
Woolley was the tough-luck loser with both ninth-inning runs charged to him as he fell to 3-3 on the year. The one-out walk in the final frame was the only one he surrendered in the game.
"Woolley was fantastic again," Shoop said. "The bottom line is we have to score more runs. We had nine hits tonight, and we have to be able to get more than two runs out of that."
Austin Pratt earned the win for Marshall, throwing four innings of scoreless relief. Pratt and starter Mike Mason combined to hold the Blazers without a run on five hits over the final eight innings.
UAB had chances to add to its lead as the Blazers put at least one runner on base in every inning from the second through the sixth but were unable to score another run. UAB stranded nine runners on the night.
Palmeiro and Jamal Austin tallied two hits each for UAB as the Blazers finished with nine hits in the game to just two for Marshall.
Ballou provided most of the offense for the Thundering Herd, either scoring or driving in all three of his team's runs.
