The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Middle Tennessee State
UAB Baseball Doubles Up MTSU in Saturday Doubleheader
4/23/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The UAB baseball team totaled 16 hits between its two games Saturday to claim a doubleheader sweep and clinch the Conference USA series over Middle Tennessee at Young Memorial Field.
UAB (16-22, 8-9 C-USA) gashed the Blue Raiders (16-24, 4-13 C-USA) 10-1 in the first game, while the second game required Thomas Lowery's saving grace in a 5-2 victory. The two league wins brings the Green and Gold within one game of .500 in conference play at 8-9.
Game One: MTSU 1, UAB 10
At first appearing to be a nail-biter in the making, as the game's first 15 batters were retired in order, the Blazers reeled off 10 runs between five innings to claim a nine-run win in the day's first game.
Freshman starter Tanner Graham (2-4) had arguably his best start of the season as he dealt six innings of scoreless baseball. The right-hander struck out a career-high five, yielding just five hits with no walks. The Blazers' offense aided the young pitcher with three runs in the third, a fourth in the fourth and six in the seventh to give him breathing room.
Redshirt freshman Brewer Hicklen began the scoring with a two-RBI single in the third, and first baseman Carter Pharis followed up with a run-scoring single to center.
Leading 3-0, second baseman Blake Johnson made it a four-run game with an RBI in the fourth, and the Blazers blew it open in the seventh with six runs on two hits. UAB sent 11 to the plate in the frame and scored three runs on two bases-loaded walks and a hit-by-pitch. Senior catcher Mitch Williams capped off the scoring with a bases-clearing double.
Seven Blazers recorded hits, with Johnson leading the way at 2-for-2 and two runs scored.
Game Two: MTSU 2, UAB 5
The Blue Raiders turned things around in the second game, holding the Green and Gold scoreless through five innings and leading 1-0. Late-inning runs in the sixth and seventh eventually lifted UAB over MTSU behind the solid outings of starting pitcher Ryan Ruggles and the closer, Lowery.
A wild pitch in the second inning allowed MTSU third baseman Drew Huff to score from third, giving the Blue Raiders a 1-0 lead.
Despite four hits through their first five innings, the Blazers didn't find their way on the board until the bottom of the sixth. The frame led off with Johnson and Jared Nixon walking and Hicklen getting hit by a pitch to load the bases. Pharis hit a sac fly to center to score one, and Gum put down a sac bunt to plate a second run.
Leading 2-1, back-to-back bunts by Johnson and Gum added two runs to the board in the seventh. UAB tacked on its fifth run with Hicklen taking advantage of a wild pitch. MTSU threatened in the ninth, scoring a run of a sac fly, but Lowery escaped the inning with no further damage done to secure the win.
Ruggles (5-2) earned the victory in 6.2 innings of work. The left-hander gave up just one run on four hits and struck out five. Lowery entered in the seventh and threw the last 2.1 innings to register his seventh save.
Williams led the offense with a double, going 2-for-4 at the plate, as six other Blazers posted hits. Hicklen swiped a bag in each game to push his team-lead in steals to 15.
UAB and Middle Tennessee wrap up the series Sunday at 1 p.m. Including their weekends against Louisiana Tech and Southern Miss, the Blazers have now claimed three C-USA series victories.
For more information on the UAB baseball team, follow the Blazers on Twitter (@UAB_Baseball). For more on all Blazer sports teams, follow the official social media accounts of UAB Athletics on Twitter (@UABAthletics), on Facebook (Facebook.com/UAB.Blazers), on Instagram (@uabathletics) or on Snapchat (@uabathletics).
