The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Gardner-Webb
Long Ball Leads Baseball Past Gardner-Webb, 10-5
4/20/2012 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 20, 2012
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ---- Michael Busby and Ryan Ussery each launched homers and Chase Mallard pitched 6.1 innings in relief to lead the UAB baseball team past Gardner-Webb, 10-5, in the Blazers off week in Conference USA action.
UAB (22-17) and GWU (20-19) will play game two of a three-game series on Saturday, with first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m. CT from Young Memorial Field.
The Blazers pounded out 11 hits, featuring two-hit games from Jeff Schalk and Patrick Palmeiro. Schalk drove in two thanks to a pair of doubles, while Palmeiro and Prinzing each added one RBI. To go along with his homer, Busby drove in three for the winners.
"We squared quite a few balls up tonight," head coach Brian Shoop said. "I was hoping Busby could give us a lift and he gave us three RBI. When you get a quick strike offense, like we did tonight with the two two-run home runs, that is such a big help, especially getting four runs after they tied it up."
Mallard (3-2) came in relief for Dillon Napoleon and pitched a career-high 6.1 innings to pick up his third win of the year. The righty scattered six hits, allowing three runs (two earned) with four strikeouts.
"Chase always pitches well and always keeps you in the game to gives you a chance to win," Shoop said.
UAB got the ball rolling offensively in the bottom of the second when Busby roped a two-run homer to left, breaking an early scoreless tie.
The next half inning, GWU responded by tying the score on a two-run double from Dusty Quaddlebaum. The hit appeared to clear the bases, but a great relay from Ussery to Todd Wilkinson to Harry Clark gunned down the potential go-ahead run at the plate.
The seesaw scoring spree continued in the bottom of the third as UAB pushed across four more runs and never looked back. In the frame, Schalk roped a RBI double and Ussery rocketed a two-run blast, his team-best fourth of the season to highlight the inning.
The Blazers added some insurance in the fifth and sixth innings, scoring twice in both frames.
Fraudin (1-4) was saddled with the loss for the Runnin' Bulldogs. The righty went 5.0 innings, surrendering eight runs (six earned) off seven hits.
