The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Old Dominion
UAB Baseball, Old Dominion Split Saturday Doubleheader
4/30/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
NORFOLK, Va. -- The UAB baseball team split its Saturday doubleheader with Old Dominion at Bud Metheny Baseball Complex. The Monarchs claimed the first game 7-4 to win the series, but the Blazers battled back to take a 6-3 win in game two to avoid a sweep.
Game One -- UAB 4, ODU 7
Old Dominion attacked early to lead off the doubleheader, scoring runs in each of the first four innings in game one. The Monarchs' bats chased UAB starting pitcher Ryan Ruggles (5-3) after 2.2 innings of work.
ODU plated a run in the first and two in the second, and the Blazers scored a run in each of the next two innings to pull within one run, 3-2, but the Monarchs put it away with three runs in the third and an insurance run in the fourth.
Carter Pharis accounted for the Green and Gold's run in the second, scoring on a wild pitch, and an RBI single off the bat of Jared Nixon in the third plated the second run.
Dylan Munger limited the damage in relief of Ruggles, allowing just one run on three hits through 2.1 innings. Stephen Baggett closed out the contest through the final three innings. The senior yielded just one hit, and the trio of left-hander struck out 10 ODU batters.
Game Two -- UAB 6, ODU 3
The Blazers avoided the sweep with a ninth-inning rally to break a tie game in game three of the series. A couple of three-run innings and an outstanding outing by the UAB pitching staff kept the team within one game of .500 in the conference.
Old Dominion struck with a run in the first inning, but three hits and an error resulted in three Blazer runs. Senior Griffin Gum roped a single to left to plate two, and Brewer Hicklen doubled down the line in right to score Gum.
UAB's lead diminished in the fifth and sixth as ODU scored two runs between the two innings. The game's first run was charged to starter Kyle Davis, while the trying runs went against reliever Garrett Whitlock (one unearned).
Thomas Lowery (1-3) entered the game in the eighth, kept the Monarchs off the board through the final three frames, and allowed the Blazers to plate three runs in the ninth.
Despite managing just two hits, a bunt single by Mitch Williams and sac bunt from Gum yielded two of the runs. The error batted by senior Adam Smith scored the final run, earning Lowery the win.
The Blazers return to action Tuesday night as they begin a two-game set with Ohio State in Columbus. Both Tuesday and Wednesday's game are set to begin at 5:35 p.m.
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).
