BIRMINGHAM – After clinching the series with games one and two, the UAB baseball team dropped a tight bout with Miami, 8-6, in the series topper on Sunday. It was all UAB to start as the Blazers led 6-1 after three, but the Redhawks chipped away at the lead until ultimately coming out on top.
“It’s disappointing to jump out to a 6-1 lead and let it get away,” said coach Brian Shoop. “The stat line that jumps out at you is we walked seven and hit five. When you give 12 free, unearned baserunners, it’s a recipe for disaster, really. We have young arms that are forced into action with all the injuries we have, and they’re going to be fine. We just have to be able to attack the strike zone and not put runners on constantly or give good hitters extra chances they didn’t earn. Offensively, we didn’t score after the third. We had some chances, but didn’t come through.”
Junior Ian Ladner was perfect at the plate for UAB, going 3-for-3 with a run scored and four RBI after shooting a laser over left field for a grand slam and his first dinger on the year. Senior Tanner Rusk toed the rubber to start, going 3.1 innings with one strikeout, one hit allowed and two earned runs. The Blazers pitched by committee the rest of the way as redshirt freshman Ian McWilliams earned his first start and strikeout of the season, but took the loss with a hit allowed and two earned runs.
“On a good note, it was really good to see Ian Ladner jump back in and have a couple of hits for us,” added Shoop. “Every time he was up, he got on. We really need him, so that was great to see a good game by him. Maybe that’ll be a spark for him.”
The UAB bats got going early, jumping ahead 4-0 in the bottom of the first. Justin Wiley, J Paul Fullerton and Colton Schultz each drew walks to load the bases, setting up UAB’s second grand slam of the season courtesy of Ladner to put the Blazers up early.
Miami got one back in the top of the third, loading the bases on a walk, hit batter and single to score on a sacrifice fly. UAB clapped back with two more in the bottom of the frame, beginning with a leadoff single from Wiley. J Paul Fullerton stepped up next, driving his third homerun of the season over the right-field wall to put the Blazers up 6-1.
The Redhawks inched closer in the next frame, scoring another run on a fielder’s choice following three straight walks. Miami continued to chip away in the top of the fifth, drawing within one. After a leadoff triple and hit batter put runners on the corners, a double, wild pitch and sacrifice fly allowed three more runs to the plate.
Trailing by one going into the seventh, Miami took its first lead of the day with a pair of runs. Once the bases were loaded after a couple of batters were dinged and one walk was drawn, the lead runner was thrown out attempting to steal home before a two-RBI triple put the Redhawks on top, 7-6.
Miami delivered the final blow with a solo shot in the top of the eighth. Despite getting a pair in scoring position to follow in the bottom half, UAB was unable to even the tally, falling 8-6.
UAB will continue the homestand with another action-packed slate next week, playing five games weather permitting. The Blazers will host Troy on March 3 and Jacksonville State on March 4 for midweek matchups before hosting another MAC school in Toledo for the next weekend series with all games scheduled to be played at Regions Field. Live stat and streaming information for each game is available on the UAB baseball schedule page.
Fans may secure baseball season tickets by purchasing the 2020 Gold Card for $65. The Gold Card is an exclusive offer that grants you admission into all baseball, softball and women’s basketball events for the remainder of the academic year. Mini plans and single game tickets are also available here. Contact the UAB Ticket Office at (205) 975-UAB1 for more details.
For more information on the UAB baseball team, follow @UAB_Baseball on Twitter and Instagram.
-Go Blazers-
