The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB Fights Back To Down Alabama State, 11-6
5/5/2015 12:00:00β―AM | Baseball
Final Stats (PDF)
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Down 6-0 after the first two innings, the UAB baseball team mounted a comeback that included nine runs in the final three innings to defeat Alabama State, 11-6, on Tuesday night at Regions Field.
UAB (25-21, 11-13 C-USA) scored 11 runs on 10 hits to top Alabama State (30-16, 18-6 SWAC). The Blazers held the Hornets to just two hits, but had six walks in the contest.
Sophomore Thomas Lowery (6-3) got the win for the UAB in 3.0 innings pitched, allowing no hits and recording three strikeouts. Hunter McIntosh recorded the loss for Alabama State. McIntosh pitched 5.1 innings, gave up five runs on five hits and had five walks.
Alabama State started the game strong with four runs in the first inning after the Blazers walked five and hit one batter. The Hornets tacked on two more runs in the second to take a 6-0 advantage over UAB, but would fail to score another run the rest of the way.
"I thought the attitude in the dugout was great," head coach Brian Shoop said. "We just kept grinding and we got back in it. I thought that was a huge pinch hit by Sam Kelley for us and Lowery came in and finished it off. It was a good win against a quality opponent. We are also happy to win on Mark Ingram's first day as a Blazer."
In the third inning, UAB got on the board with two runs after back-to-back walks as junior Griffin Gum brought home seniors Matt Morse and Chase Davis. Both teams remained scoreless until the Blazers got hot in the sixth inning after senior Jeff Schalk opened with a lead-off single.
A wild pitch by Alabama State brought Schalk home and Esteban Tresgallo walked, then a RBI single by pinch-hitter Sam Kelley drove home Adam Lau. Morse bunted pinch-runner Evan Peterson over to second and Tresgallo scored. Davis came to the plate and hit a triple over the center fielder to score Peterson and tie the game up for the Blazers, 6-6.
Gum was walked to begin the seventh inning then advanced to second on a wild pitch. Schalk hit his second-straight single as Gum moved over to third so the Blazers had runners on the corners with no outs. Senior Tyler Mims drove in Gum before Tresgallo hit his sixth homerun of the season to make it 9-6, UAB.
The Blazers continued to add to their lead in the eighth inning after another lead-off walk. With two runners on, Schalk recorded his third hit of the game with a single to left then an error on the left fielder for the Hornets allowed two runs to score and Schalk to advance to second.
UAB now travels to Montgomery, Ala., to take on Alabama State at 6 p.m. Wednesday. For more information on the UAB baseball team, follow @UAB_Baseball. For more on all Blazer sports teams, follow @UABAthletics.
