The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
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Rice
Blazer Baseball Drops 9-2 Decision At 21st-Ranked Rice
5/21/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 21, 2010
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HOUSTON -- Luke Stewart climbed within one of the all-time UAB home run record Friday night, but his two-run shot in the first inning accounted for the Blazers' only scoring in a 9-2 loss to No. 21 Rice in Conference USA baseball action at Reckling Park.
Stewart's long ball was one of only two hits allowed by Rice starter Mike Ojala, who struck out a career-high 12 batters on his way to the win. Both hits came back-to-back in the first inning against Ojala as the right-hander gave the Owls seven and two-thirds innings from their starting pitcher for the second straight night.
"Ojala was really good," UAB head coach Brian Shoop said. "Both of their starters so far have been lights out."
With its win, first-place Rice (35-19, 17-6 C-USA) secured the series from UAB (27-25, 10-13 C-USA) with one game remaining this weekend. The teams will close out the regular season Saturday at 1 p.m. CT.
UAB is one of four teams in contention for two remaining spots in the six-team conference tournament after Marshall and Houston clinched their spots Friday. The Blazers need a win and an East Carolina loss to Houston on Saturday to make the field.
Stewart became just the second UAB player ever to hit 20 home runs in a season, joining Shayne Carnes, who posted 23 in 1998. Friday's home run was the 48th of the first baseman's UAB career as he moved within one of tying Carnes' all-time school record.
Unfortunately for UAB, Rice took advantage of its power as well. The Owls did the majority of their damage with two swings on three-run homers from designated hitter Diego Seastrunk and center fielder Jeremy Rathjen. Seastrunk's second homer of the series came as part of a four-run first inning for Rice, while Rathjen's came in the fourth, also against UAB starter Beau Pender.
"That's a heck of a lineup they run out there," Shoop said. "I thought Beau and Trey (Vice) both pitched great tonight, but those two three-run homers were the difference."
Rice first baseman Jimmy Comerota accounted for the other early Owl run with an RBI single in the third inning, and third baseman Anthony Rendon singled home a late run in the eighth.
Rice right fielder Chad Mozingo led all players with a 3-for-5 performance as the Owls racked up 11 hits as a team.
Stewart finished 2-for-4 at the plate for UAB, while second baseman Nick Crawford reached base three times -- twice on walks and once when he was hit by a pitch.
Crawford scored on Stewart's home run in the first and was the only UAB base runner against Ojala after the opening inning, but he was stranded at first in both the third and fifth frames. Ojala worked four three-up, three-down innings and secured the first two outs of the eighth before Mark Haynes came out of the bullpen to end the frame.
Tyler Duffey, another Rice reliever, then allowed a pair of hits in the ninth but got out of the last inning without allowing any Blazer runs.
Pender worked six complete innings in the loss for UAB, and Vice allowed one run over the final two Rice at-bats. UAB designated hitter John Frost had the Blazers' only other hit against Ojala with a first-inning double to extend his hitting streak to 10 games.
