UAB Squeezes Past Troy 4-3

Tuesday, April 3

Birmingham, Ala.

6:30 p.m.

Troy University

UAB

Photo by: Kevin Glackmeyer

4/3/2012 9:33:00 PM | Baseball

By: Adam Prendergast

BOX SCORE

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – UAB scored three runs – two unearned – in the eighth inning, including the game-winner on a squeeze bunt, to defeat Troy 4-3 Tuesday night at Young Memorial Field.

The Trojans carried a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the eighth inning only to see the Blazers steal the
victory away. Following a strikeout to open the frame, Tyler Mims singled back up the middle and Harry Clark reached on one of three Troy errors in the game.

Tyson Workman, Troy's closer, came out of the bullpen and issued a single to pinch hitter Ryan Ussery which closed the gap to 3-2. A fielding error on the hit allowed both base runners to move into scoring position. A wild pitch tied the game and moved the potential winning run to third base. The Blazers opted for the suicide squeeze on the first pitch and Todd Wilkinson delivered with a perfectly executed bunt to plate the game-winning run.

Troy (13-15) scored the game's first run in the second inning as Jake Harrell doubled home Chase Mathis with two outs after Mathis led off the frame with a two-bagger. UAB (18-12) answered in the home half of the inning after Mims reached on a one-out triple and scored on a ground out by Clark.

Mathis put the Trojans back in front with a bases loaded grounder to short in the third and increased the lead to two with a double in the fifth to score Logan Pierce who doubled earlier in the frame.

Mathis and Pierce were both 2-for-4 in the game. Pierce extended his hit streak out to 18 games with a single in the first inning and is batting 34-for-68 (.500) during his streak.

Jeff Schalk led UAB with three hits in four at-bats, while John Frost and Mims both had two hits. Alex Luna (1-0) earned the win for the Blazers with three innings of scoreless relief; Dylan Munger worked a clean ninth for his first save of the season.

Joe Hernandez took a no-decision for the Trojans after entering the eighth inning in line for the victory. He scattered three hits over four innings allowing just one run. Thomas Austin struck out five and allowed six hits over 3.1 innings out of the bullpen. He was charged with two of the runs in the eighth, only one of which was earned. Workman (2-2) took the loss with one unearned run on one hit in two-thirds of an inning.

The Trojans return to Sun Belt Conference action this weekend with a three-game series at FIU in Miami. It is the third road series in four conference weekends so far this year for Troy.