The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
Middle Tennessee State
UAB Baseball Drops Two at Middle Tennessee
3/15/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Game One: Box Score (PDF) | Final Stats
Game Two: Box Score (PDF) | Final Stats
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - The UAB baseball team dropped the final two games of the series to Middle Tennessee, 3-0 and 3-2, Sunday afternoon at Reese Smith Jr. Field.
The Blazers (10-7, 0-3 C-USA) tallied just two hits in game one, and plated its first runs of the weekend in game two, falling short late to the Blue Raiders (11-6, 3-0 C-USA) in the first C-USA weekend of the season.
"I don't want to take anything away from the Middle Tennessee pitchers, and with that said, if you would have told me we would've scored two runs in three games, I would tell you there's no way that would happen," head coach Brian Shoop said. "I'm caught off guard by this weekend. You congratulate their pitchers to a degree, but we have got to have more competitive at-bats than that. We've been humbled and we better get back to work."
Game One Recap
The difference in game one was Middle Tennessee's 3-run third, where the Blue Raiders sent nine hitters to the plate and put up five-straight singles.
UAB starter Johnny Lieske made quick work of the first two hitters, inducing two groundouts to the shortstop, but surrendered five singles in a row. After MT's one and two hitter both grounded out, Ronnie Jebavy began a string of singles that would be the difference in the 7-inning contest.
UAB led off two different innings with a walk, including the fifth where Griffin Gum and Jeff Schalk drew back-to-back walks. Tyler Mims grounded out to the shortstop, before Brett Blackwood and Mitch Williams struck out looking to end the threat.
Outside of the third inning, Lieske was dominant, allowing just three hits in the remaining innings with six strikeouts to his credit.
MT's starter Nate Hoffman tossed a solid five innings with five strikeouts and just three hits allowed.
Game Two Recap
UAB scored its first runs of the weekend in game two, a contest that was decided in the sixth inning.
MT led off the sixth with a triple that deflected off the center field wall. The game winning run was plated two batters later off a groundout to short.
UAB scored first in the third after Schalk drove home Chase Davis who reached on an earlier double to left. The Blue Raiders responded in their half of the third on a sacrifice fly to left and a single to follow to make it a 2-1 game through three.
The Blazers clawed back with a single run in the fourth after Mims reached on a double and Williams drove him home on a groundout to second.
UAB returns home to Regions Field on Tuesday for a 6:30 p.m. contest against the Auburn Tigers.
For more information on the UAB baseball team, follow the Blazers on Twitter (@UAB_Baseball). For more on all Blazer sports teams follow the official Twitter account of UAB Athletics (@UABAthletics).
