UAB Hangs On to Defeat Auburn 6-4 on The Plains

Tuesday, May 7

Auburn, Ala.

6 p.m.

UAB

23-26

Auburn

29-19

UAB

Auburn

UAB Hangs On to Defeat Auburn 6-4 on The Plains

5/7/2019 10:30:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score

AUBURN, Ala. – On a night where the Blazers managed to strand 11 runners on base with five coming in the final three innings, the UAB baseball team was able to hang on and secure a 6-4 victory over Auburn on Tuesday night at Plainsman Park.

UAB (23-26) has now won three straight games and six of its last eight with a big weekend of league play ahead as the Blazers vie for a spot in the Conference USA Tournament. The victory tonight on the road at Auburn was the Blazers' first in 22 years, dating back to a 5-3 win in 1996.

"That's a great win for our kids and I am happy for them," head coach Brian Shoop said. "We had three one-run losses on the road to road to SEC teams this year and had great chances to beat Alabama, Mississippi State and Ole Miss so to get over the hump tonight was great. We have a nice little run going and are playing pretty well. Hopefully we can continue that against Charlotte."

Ryan Wesson and Matthew Calvert were once again dominant in relief, combining for 3.1 innings with just one run allowed and four hits. Wesson (2-2) earned his first victory since Holy Cross on Feb. 23 as the senior threw 1.1 innings of shutout baseball with just one hit allowed and got a strikeout. Calvert earned his fourth save of the season, holding the Tigers to one run over 2.0 innings, including an eighth where he had to pitch out of a bases loaded jam.

Offensively, Jess Davis went 2-for-2 with a pair of runs scored, stolen base and a RBI. The freshman now has 14 multi-hit contests in his first season on the Southside.

Carter Pharis turned his 66th career multi-RBI contest, going 1-for-4 with a pair of RBIs. His lone hit was a double, the 56th of his four-year career.

Scoring began early for the Green and Gold as they plated a pair of runs in the first. Tyler Tolbert got the Blazers running with a leadoff triple. One batter later, Davis singled through the left side to score Tolbert and give the Blazers the early lead. After being struck by a pitch, Ian Ladner got caught in a pickle as himself and Davis attempted a double steal. Ladner was out on the play, but Davis squeaked home to push UAB's lead to 2-0.

UAB tacked one more runs in the third inning as Auburn native Austin Triplett led off the frame with a single to center field. Davis reached base for the second time two batters later before Colton Schultz drove the third UAB hit of frame through the right side to score Triplett. Pharis drove in the second run, reaching on a fielder's choice where everyone was safe, including Davis at home to make it a 4-0 game.

Auburn got a run back in the home half of the third inning, driving a sacrifice fly into center field to score the first Tiger run of the game and turn it into a three-run game.

Scoring continued for the second consecutive inning for the Tigers as an infield groundout allowed another run to come across the plate and it 4-2.

The Blazers regained their four-run lead in the fifth inning as Schultz drew a leadoff walk before being driven home by Pharis' 56th career double. A fly out left center field pushed Pharis to third before a wild pitch allowed the first baseman to score to push UAB's lead to 6-2.

The Tigers pulled within three yet again in the sixth inning as the leadoff hitter reached on a single and then made the Blazers pay for a pair of wild pitches to move to third before scoring on the second Auburn hit of the inning to make it 6-3.

UAB's toughest test of the night came in the eighth inning as Auburn loaded the bases with no outs. A sacrifice fly to center field plated the one and only run of the inning as Calvert got an infield fly and a swinging strikeout to end the inning and the threat and leave the game at 6-4.

UAB returns to the Magic City on Friday to begin its final homestand of the season against Charlotte. Games one and two are set for 2 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively, and will be played at Lawson State Community College. The series finale will move back to Young Memorial Field as first pitch is slated for 1 p.m., but the Blazers will honor their 12 seniors in a pregame ceremony beginning at approximately 12:45 p.m.

For more information on the UAB baseball team, follow the Blazers on Twitter (@UAB_Baseball) or on Instagram (UAB_Baseball).