Big Innings Doom Trojans in 11-5 Loss to UAB

Tuesday, April 13

Troy, Ala.

6:00 pm

Troy University

UAB

Big Innings Doom Trojans in 11-5 Loss to UAB

4/14/2010 2:00:00 AM | Baseball

Visiting UAB used a pair of big early innings to doom the Trojans Tuesday night in an 11-5 Troy loss at Riddle-Pace Field.

The Blazers scored four times in the third innings off Troy starting pitcher Nick Ward (0-1) and added six more runs in the fourth inning to put the Trojans in an early hole from which the home team was never able to recover.

“That has been the formula of late,” Trojans coach Bobby Pierce said. “We give up a walk and a hit by pitch and that gets the ball rolling. Give UAB credit because they got some balls off the bat, but we put ourselves into position to give up a big inning with the walks and other stuff.”

The early scoring was more than enough for UAB starting pitcher Shay Crawford (2-2) who allowed just one run on two hits over six innings of work.

With the loss, Troy's fourth straight, the Trojans fall to 16-16 on the season. UAB improved to 20-11.

The Blazers got big hits up and down the lineup. Cleanup hitter John Frost had a two-run double in the third and added a two-run single off Jordan Mathers in the fourth. Luke Stewart, who drove in three in the game, also had a two-run double off Mathers in the fourth inning.

Ward was tagged for six runs in three-plus innings of work while Mathers surrendered four runs in his only frame.

Things settled down once freshman Cass Abercrombie took the mound in the fifth. He allowed just one unearned run on five hits over three innings of work. Senior Andrew Dickinson pitched the final two innings, getting work in between weekend starts.

Troy scored a single run in the fourth when Adam Bryant led off with a triple and scored on a sacrifice fly from Steven Felix. The only other Trojans to reach base against Crawford were Todd McCrae, who doubled in the sixth, and T.J. Rivera, who drew a two-out walk that same inning.

Tristen Farrell worked the final three innings for UAB, allowing four runs on seven hits. Rivera delivered one run on a double in the eighth and Ryan Ditthardt followed two batters later with a three-run homer.

Frost and Bradley Hicks led the Blazers' 15-hit attack with three each. Nick Crawford, Stewart and Harry Clark had two hits each for UAB. McRae led the Trojans with a season-high three hits and Chase Whitley had two.

“We are just a team that is not playing great baseball,” Pierce said. “When that happens, you see a team making a lot of mistakes. That is, unfortunately, where we are. What we have to do if find a way to battle out of this because we have a much better team that what we are showing right now.”

The Trojans will try to get even with the Blazers on Wednesday when the two teams meet again, this time in Birmingham at UAB's Jerry Young Memorial Field. The first pitch on Wednesday is slated for 6:30 p.m.