The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Tulane (C-USA Tournament)
UAB Drops C-USA Tournament Opener To No.1 Tulane, 8-6
5/25/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 25, 2005
HATTIESBURG, Miss.-- Top-ranked Tulane came from behind and recorded an 8-6 victory over UAB on Wednesday afternoon in the first round of the Conference USA Tournament at Pete Taylor Park. The top-seeded Green Wave improves to 48-9 overall while the number-eight seed Blazers fall to 31-26 on the season.
Brandon Gomes (7-2) pitched ? innings of scoreless relief for Tulane and picked up the victory. Jeff Brown (7-4) suffered the loss for UAB after allowing eight runs, seven earned, in 4.1 innings of work. Daniel Latham picked up his ninth save for the Green Wave, finishing off the Blazers in the ninth inning.
After the Blazers took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third on a Clint Toomey RBI single, the Green Wave came right back to tie the score on a Joe Holland solo home run in the bottom of the inning.
Tulane grabbed the lead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. With the bases loaded and one out, Matt Barket grounded a ball to shortstop which looked to be a sure double play ball, but the ball went under Ryan Metcalf's glove, allowing MIcah Owings and Greg Dini to come around and score.
UAB came right back and exploded for five runs in the top of the fifth. Rush Knight led off with a pop fly single which Holland lost in the sky at second base. Metcalf then followed with a bunt single and an errant pickoff throw to first base by J.R. Crowel went down the right field line, allowing Knight to score and M etcalf to move to third. Toomey then came through with his second RBI single of the game, a line drive up the middle to plate Metcalf and tie the game at three. The Blazers then grabbed the lead when Cole Helms ripped a two-out double down the left field line which brought Toomey and Nathan McCorkle home with the go-ahead runs. After a Tulane pitching change, UAB added one more run when Seth Rollin singled up the middle to score Helms and give his team a 6-3 advantage.
Tulane loaded the bases with just one out in the bottom of the fifth inning. After a single by Brad Emaus, walk by Tommy Manzella and walk by Owings, Dini and Scott Madden each came through with RBI singles. After a pitching change by UAB, Barket drew a bases loaded walk to plate Owings and again tie the game. Nathan Southard capped off the scoring for Tulane with a two-out single into left field, scoring Dini and Madden to take an 8-6 lead.
The Blazers will face Houston on Thursday morning at 9 a.m. at Pete Taylor Park in the first elimination game of the Conference USA Tournament.
