The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Creighton
Blazers Day Goes Without a Hitch, Tops Creighton 14-1
2/19/2017 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
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Perfect day for baseball ⚾️
Perfect day for a proposal 💍@Mcalvert_21 presents a diamond on the diamond!!! pic.twitter.com/gFBfzlFmyZ— UAB Baseball (@UAB_Baseball) February 19, 2017
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – UAB head coach Brian Shoop preaches family to his team and on a perfect day at the ballpark, before the final game of the opening series versus Creighton, the Blazers saw one of their own get engaged.
Sophomore pitcher Matthew Calvert proposed to his girlfriend, Amanda Love, before the game with their son Easton present as the two threw out the first pitch to Calvert who then handed the ball back to his son before getting on one knee and taking out the ring.
She said yes.
“That was precious,” said Shoop. “What a neat way to start the day. The funny thing was I think everybody in the park knew it was happening except for Amanda, thank goodness. It went off perfect and then he got to pitch at the end, which was neat too. The stuff off the field, in the end, is a lot more important than what happens on the field.”
That set the mood for a great day for the Blazers. UAB capitalized on a number of mistakes to dominate Creighton 14-1 and earn the sweep. It is the third time in the last four years the Blazers opened the season at 3-0.
“Our game is a game of mistakes,” commented Shoop. “It’s an incredibly hard game to play without errors, walks, and hit batsmen. Most runs involve what we call ‘freebies.’ In the end, we played a cleaner weekend than what they did. Usually mistakes happen when you get pressured. We did a good job of keeping pressure on what is normally one of the better defensive teams in the country.”
UAB scored 11 of its 14 runs unearned. The sixth and seventh innings were the biggest of the game, as the Blazers scored four runs in each inning on six hits and three errors. Zack Davis was the biggest beneficiary of the seventh frame, driving in Antonio Ralat and Brett Blackwood, whom each got on base on RBI singles.
The pitching staff for the Blazers looked strong once again. Tanner Graham (1-0) cruised through six innings. The sophomore struck out a career-high nine batters while allowing just five base runners (three hits, two hit by pitch).
The quartet of Dylan Munger, Isaiah Gonzales-Montoya, Sylvester Toe, and Calvert finished the game, allowing a combined two hits and one unearned run over the final three innings. Calvert secured the final two outs in just seven pitches.
“Creighton is a team that won 36 games a year ago and has competed for three straight Big East Championships,” said Shoop. “It’s a really good weekend. It all starts on the mound. Our whole pitching staff did a great job and we’re proud of them.”
UAB is off Monday before a home-and-home with defending SWAC champions Alabama State. The Blazers host the Hornets at Regions Field on Tuesday, February 21 at 4:00 p.m. before traveling to Montgomery, Ala., for a 6:00 p.m. game on Wednesday, February 22.
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 (@UAB_Athletics), on Facebook (Facebook.com/UAB.Blazers), on Instagram (@uab_athletics) or on Snapchat (@uabathletics).
