The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Florida Atlantic
Blazers Drop Rainy Friday Doubleheader to FAU
3/25/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
BOCA RATON, Fla. -- After yesterday's game was postponed due to torrential rainfall and the first game of today's doubleheader was plagued by a couple of lengthy rain delays, a flood of walks and FAU runs led to two UAB losses Friday.
The Blazers' pitching staff combined to walk 17 Owls between the two games, leading to a 5-3 loss in game one and 7-3 loss in game two.
"We were so good Tuesday against Alabama," head coach Brian Shoop said. "We walked one, and today we walked 17. You don't have to go any further than that. We walked 17, and they walked two. End of story."
Game One: UAB 3, FAU 5
A two-run fourth inning lifted the Owls over the Blazers to claim the first game of the Friday doubleheader.
FAU took an early 1-0 advantage in the first against starting pitcher Ryan Ruggles, but UAB answered with a two-run second to take a 2-1 lead. Carter Pharis led off with a single to center, advanced to second and scored on an RBI single up the middle from designated hitter Holt Davis. Second baseman Blake Johnson capped off the inning with an RBI single to left center.
The Owls jumped back ahead in the fourth on three hits. A bases-loaded walk scored the tying run, and a fielder's choice plated the go-ahead.
The Blazers got a run back in the top of the eighth via a Griffin Gum RBI single to score Brewer Hicklen, but Florida Atlantic brought home an insurance run in each of its last two frames to outscore UAB, 5-3.
Hicklen had a nice day in the leadoff spot, going 3-for-4 with a run scored. All but two starters in the lineup came away with base hits.
The pitching trio of Ruggles, Austin Thomas and Cory Eller combined to strand 13 FAU runners on base. Ruggles was tagged with the loss, while Owl starter Brandon Rhodes improved to 4-2 with the win.
Game Two: UAB 3, FAU 7
Despite tying in the hits column, UAB's nine walks versus FAU's one walk helped the Owls to the doubleheader sweep.
The game was back and forth through the first four frames. Florida Atlantic scored in the first, and the Blazers answered back with a game-tying sacrifice fly off the bat of Riley McCown. The Owls jumped ahead again in the second with a leadoff home run from Gunnar Lambert, 2-1.
UAB tacked on two to take its lone lead of the contest, going up, 3-2, in the fourth. Pharis lined his second hit of three up the middle on one out, and McCown advanced the freshman on a single to third. Both runners advanced one bag on a wild pitch, and Jared Nixon delivered a two-RBI single down the line in left to plate both.
The lead was short-lived as FAU tied it in the bottom of the fourth, then plated three in the sixth to take a permanent lead. Freshman starting pitcher Tanner Graham left after four innings after allowing three runs, and reliever Dylan Munger was tagged with the loss, giving up three runs (two earned) over 1.1 innings of work. Left-hander Stephen Baggett closed out the contest with 2.2 innings of two-hit, one-run baseball.
Pharis ended the day with four hits and a 3-for-4 performance in the second game. The freshman also scored two runs.
UAB and FAU wrap up the series Saturday at noon CT. Live stats and free audio links can be found at UABSports.com.
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