The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Sunday, March 27
Young Memorial Field
1 P.M.
UAB
15-7, 0
6
vs
5
Middle Tennessee
10-13, 0
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10
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H
E
Middle Tennessee
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UAB
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Willoughby's Walk-Off Lifts UAB to 6-5 Win Over Middle Tennessee in 10 Innings
3/27/2022 5:05:00 PM | Baseball
BIRMINGHAM – Brandon Willoughby crushed a walk-off home run in the 10th inning to lift UAB to a 6-5 victory in Sunday's series finale against Middle Tennessee. The Blazers, who trailed 4-0 in Sunday's game, stormed all the way back to send the game to extra innings and win it with their first at-bat in the 10th inning.
After Collin Taylor tossed a scoreless frame in the top of the 10th, Willoughby stepped to the plate to lead things off for the Blazers in the home half. The junior worked the count back to 2-2 before hammering his third home run of the season over the left field wall, putting the Blazers back in the win column with their first walk-off victory since head coach Casey Dunn's UAB debut against Northwestern on Feb. 18.
Middle Tennessee (10-13, 3-3 C-USA) extended its lead to 4-0 in the fifth behind three home runs. Mason Speirs put the Blue Raiders ahead 2-0 in the first with a two-run homer to left field. Jacob Williams and Briggs Rutter would then blast solo shots in second and fifth innings, respectively, to give Middle Tennessee its largest lead of the day.
UAB (15-7, 3-3 C-USA) would take its first lead of the series in the bottom of the fifth behind six singles, using small ball to push across five runs. Back-to-back singles from Henry Hunter and Matthew Golda opened the frame before a sacrifice bunt from Peyton Puckett and a throwing error on the Blue Raiders pushed UAB's first run across.
Darryl Buggs then dropped down a bunt single to second base to cut UAB's deficit in half at 4-2. Willoughby, Josh Sears and Christian Hall would add to UAB's barrage of singles to flip a 4-2 deficit into a 5-4 Blazers' lead entering the sixth.
Speirs would then record his second home run of the afternoon with a solo shot to lead off the eighth inning, tying Sunday's game at 5-5. The Blazers' bullpen trio of Brady Greene, Carson Myers and Taylor would then allow only two hits and not give up a walk in the final 2.2 innings before Willoughby's walk-off heroics.
Taylor (1-0), UAB's leader in saves (three), earned his first win of the season with 1.2 scoreless innings, allowing only one hit and punching out one Blue Raider. Middle Tennessee's Jaden Hamm (2-2) earned the loss on Sunday, pitching over four scoreless innings before Willoughby's walk-off home run in the 10th inning.
UAB will make the short trip on Tuesday to Samford to take on the Bulldogs. Tuesday's first pitch in Homewood is scheduled for 6 p.m.
After Collin Taylor tossed a scoreless frame in the top of the 10th, Willoughby stepped to the plate to lead things off for the Blazers in the home half. The junior worked the count back to 2-2 before hammering his third home run of the season over the left field wall, putting the Blazers back in the win column with their first walk-off victory since head coach Casey Dunn's UAB debut against Northwestern on Feb. 18.
Middle Tennessee (10-13, 3-3 C-USA) extended its lead to 4-0 in the fifth behind three home runs. Mason Speirs put the Blue Raiders ahead 2-0 in the first with a two-run homer to left field. Jacob Williams and Briggs Rutter would then blast solo shots in second and fifth innings, respectively, to give Middle Tennessee its largest lead of the day.
UAB (15-7, 3-3 C-USA) would take its first lead of the series in the bottom of the fifth behind six singles, using small ball to push across five runs. Back-to-back singles from Henry Hunter and Matthew Golda opened the frame before a sacrifice bunt from Peyton Puckett and a throwing error on the Blue Raiders pushed UAB's first run across.
Darryl Buggs then dropped down a bunt single to second base to cut UAB's deficit in half at 4-2. Willoughby, Josh Sears and Christian Hall would add to UAB's barrage of singles to flip a 4-2 deficit into a 5-4 Blazers' lead entering the sixth.
Speirs would then record his second home run of the afternoon with a solo shot to lead off the eighth inning, tying Sunday's game at 5-5. The Blazers' bullpen trio of Brady Greene, Carson Myers and Taylor would then allow only two hits and not give up a walk in the final 2.2 innings before Willoughby's walk-off heroics.
Taylor (1-0), UAB's leader in saves (three), earned his first win of the season with 1.2 scoreless innings, allowing only one hit and punching out one Blue Raider. Middle Tennessee's Jaden Hamm (2-2) earned the loss on Sunday, pitching over four scoreless innings before Willoughby's walk-off home run in the 10th inning.
UAB will make the short trip on Tuesday to Samford to take on the Bulldogs. Tuesday's first pitch in Homewood is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Taylor, Collin (1-0)
L: Jaden Hamm (2-2)
Batting:
2B: Fausto Lopez 1
HR: Mason Speirs 2 ; Jacob Williams 1 ; Briggs Rutter 1
RBI: Mason Speirs 3 ; Jacob Williams 1 ; Briggs Rutter 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Jackson Galloway 1 ; Mason Speirs 2 ; Jacob Williams 1 ; Briggs Rutter 1
CS: Jackson Galloway 1 ; Luke Vinson 1
Batting:
2B: Buggs, Darryl 1
HR: Willoughby, Brandon 1
RBI: Willoughby, Brandon 2 ; Sears, Josh 1 ; Hall, Christian 1 ; Buggs, Darryl 1
SH: Mullins, John Marc 1 ; Puckett, Peyton 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Willoughby, Brandon 2 ; Hunter, Henry 1 ; Golda, Matthew 1 ; Puckett, Peyton 1 ; Buggs, Darryl 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
2
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
OF
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INF
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RHP
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OF
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LHP
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INF
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RHP
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