The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Blazers Fall to No. 18 Auburn, 13-5
3/19/2019 10:42:00 PM | Baseball
BIRMINGHAM - The UAB baseball team fell, 13-5, to No. 18 Auburn Tuesday night at Regions Field.
UAB (10-11, 0-3 C-USA) fell for just the third time at home this season, while Auburn (19-2, 3-0 SEC) moved to 4-1 on the road.
"Well first of all Auburn is really good," head coach Brian Shoop said. "They are not 19-2 by accident."
The Blazers were led offensively by Colton Schultz, who finished the game with two RBI on one base hit. J Paul Fullerton and Zack Davis paced UAB in hits with two a piece, with each also scoring a run.
Austin Bohannon (1-1) took the loss for UAB, while Bailey Horn (1-0) claimed the win for the Tigers. Bohannon tossed 2.1 innings, allowing five runs on two hits with a strikeout."
The Green and Gold drew seven walks and had runners on base in six of nine innings, but could not capitalize enough to overcome the visitors from the Plains.
UAB loaded the bases in the bottom half of the second inning and plated the first run of the game as Jess Davis walked, pushing Z. Davis across and giving the Blazers a 1-0 lead. With the bases still loaded and two out, Schultz sent a two-RBI double down the left field line, scoring Blake Johnson and Tyler Tolbert before an Auburn throwing error allowed J. Davis to score and gave the Green and Gold a 4-0 advantage.
"The first four innings we played so clean," Shoop said. "(Tyler) Gates did well, didn't walk anybody, not hit batsmen, no errors and that looks pretty good."
Auburn got on the board in the top of the fifth, scoring two runs on a two-RBI base hit to left field by Will Holland, cutting the Blazer lead in half and making the score 4-2. The Tigers tied the contest in the same inning on a single to right field by Rankin Woley, scoring runners from second and third and knotting the score at four. The visitors followed up tying the game by taking their first lead, 8-4, on a grand slam to left field by Conor Davis.
"Our tough inning we walked four, threw two wild pitches and made an error on a double play ball and then things cycled out of control and you have an eight-run inning put up," Shoop said.
Auburn tacked on three more runs in the sixth as Edouard Julien doubled to right center field, driving in Holland and Steven Williams and giving the Tigers a 10-4 advantage before Ryan Bliss drove in another run to give the visitors a seven-run lead.
The seventh inning saw Auburn score one more run on a sacrifice fly by Woley, putting the Tigers up by eight, 12-4.
UAB answered in the bottom of the seventh when Fullerton led off with a double before moving to third on a Z. Davis single and crossing home on a sacrifice fly by Johnson, cutting Auburn's advantage to 12-5.
The Tigers struck again in the eighth inning, notching one run on an RBI groundout to third base by Bliss, scoring Brody Moore and extending the Tiger lead to eight, 13-5.
"We have to keep grinding and see if we can get things turned a little bit," Shoop said.
UAB returns to the diamond on Wednesday as it hosts in-state foe Alabama A&M at 6:30 p.m. at Young Memorial Field.
Fans can receive admission into every home baseball and softball game for the entire 2019 season for $65 by purchasing a Gold Card. Contact the UAB Ticket Office, (205) 975-UAB1, for more details.
For more information on the UAB baseball team, follow the Blazers on Twitter (@UAB_Baseball) or on Instagram (UAB_Baseball).
