The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB, No. 21 Alabama Square Off Tuesday At Regions Park
3/28/2011 12:00:00β―AM | Baseball
March 28, 2011
Game Notes 
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The UAB baseball team will host 21st-ranked Alabama on Tuesday night in the annual game at Regions Park. Game time is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT with gates opening an hour before first pitch.
Tickets are still available and can be purchased through the UAB Ticket Office or at Regions Park before the game on Tuesday. Tickets are priced at $10 for adults and $6 for youth (17 and under). UAB students will be admitted for free with their student ID.
The game will air live in Birmingham on WJOX-AM 690 with David Crane and former Blazer great Ryan Keedy on the call for the Blazer Sports Network.
UAB (13-10, 2-1 C-USA) opened Conference USA action over the weekend by taking two out of three games from Marshall on the road. The Blazers' pitching staff was the key as it held the Thundering Herd to six runs in 32 innings of play, including just one run in Sunday's 14-inning, series-clinching victory.
The Blazers will send left-hander David Hayes (0-1, 5.31 ERA) to the mound on Tuesday for his second start of the season against a ranked opponent. Hayes also started UAB's March 13 contest against then-No. 24 Coastal Carolina. Alabama will counter with right-hander Trey Pilkington (1-0, 3.77 ERA).
The Crimson Tide (18-7, 5-1 SEC) enters Tuesday's game on a seven-game winning streak after sweeping a three-game series from Kentucky over the weekend in Tuscaloosa. Alabama has climbed into the top 25 in each of the major polls this week.
Brock Bennett paces the Alabama offensive attack with a .395 batting average, while Jared Reaves tops the Crimson Tide with 22 RBI and Taylor Dugas owns a team-best 14 extra-base hits.
Jamal Austin continues to lead UAB with a .383 batting average, while Ivan De Jesus is hitting .356 since making his debut 14 games ago. Patrick Palmeiro has driven in 15 runs for the Blazers, followed by John Frost with 14. The Blazers have created some exciting finishes lately, scoring the winning run in either the eighth or ninth inning in each of their past five wins.
UAB and Alabama met just last week with the Crimson Tide earning a 6-3 win in Tuscaloosa. The Blazers took both meetings between the teams last year, including a 6-4 win in the matchup at Regions Park (March 31, 2010).
