The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Samford
Blazer Baseball Suffers 9-2 Setback To Samford
3/16/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 16, 2011
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The UAB baseball team suffered its first home defeat of the season Wednesday night with a 9-2 loss to Samford at Young Memorial Field.
Samford's Saxon Butler led all players with three hits and joined Tyler Filliben with two RBI for the Bulldogs as they earned a sweep of the two-game, midweek series.
UAB's Ivan De Jesus reached base in four of his five plate appearances with one hit and three walks and also scored a run.
The Blazers drew 10 walks in the game from Samford pitchers but managed to collect just four hits and stranded 15 runners. Samford, on the other hand, walked only twice but cranked out 13 hits.
UAB dropped to 8-8 with the loss, while Samford improved to 13-6. The Blazers remain home to host UT Martin in a three-game series this weekend with game one scheduled for Friday at 6:30 p.m. CT.
"Samford just beat us tonight; they whipped us in every phase of the game," UAB head coach Brian Shoop said. "This is a low point for our team, and we owe a lot of people an apology for the way we played tonight. But I also told our guys I believe this is a turning point for our team, and we are going to play a ton better."
Samford starter Josh Martin earned the win Wednesday, allowing one run in three innings while striking out three. UAB's Chase Mallard took the loss, surrendering five runs (three earned) in four innings.
Samford scored two runs in the first as the result of a pair of bunt singles and a UAB error, and the Bulldogs led the entire game.
De Jesus scored a run in the second inning on a wild pitch, but Samford answered back with two more in the third. The Bulldogs then added one in the fourth and opened their lead up to 8-1 with a three-run sixth, highlighted by a two-RBI double from Butler.
UAB tacked on its second run of the night in the eighth inning when Matt Morse came home to score on a Samford error.
The teams combined to use 11 pitchers on the night. UAB relievers Jacob German and Aaron Warren each saw their first work of the season on the mound. Warren tossed a scoreless seventh inning.
Ryan Nance pitched a scoreless eighth for the Blazers and has still yet to allow a run in 9.2 total innings this spring.
