Tulane University
at UAB*
Baseball Falls In Regular-Season Finale At UAB, 20-11
May 20, 2006 | Baseball
May 20, 2006
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - UAB first baseman Zac Ward hit a one-out grand slam in part of a 10-run eighth inning for the Blazers as the Tulane University baseball dropped the regular-season finale, 20-11, Saturday afternoon at Young Memorial Stadium.
Tulane jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the first, capped by a grand slam by senior left fielder Matt Riser, and led 10-1 after three and a half innings. The Blazers, however, scored a run in the third, four in the fourth, two in both the fifth and sixth innings, and a single run in the seventh.
Tulane did add a run in the top of the sixth, and with the score at 11-10 in favor of the Green Wave, UAB got back-to-back doubles by second baseman Jorge Guitierrez and centerfielder Levi Patmon to lead off the bottom of the eight and tie things up. A one-out intentional walk to third baseman Ryne Lovdahl set up a potential inning-ending double play, but the plan backfired when designated hitter Danny Muth drew a full-count walk to load the bases and set up Ward's slam.
With the loss, Tulane saw its winning streak snapped at 10 as the Green Wave fell to 39-17 on the year and 15-9 in C-USA play. UAB, which clinched the eighth and final spot in the C-USA Tournament via Southern Miss' 18-3 win over UCF earlier in the day in Hattiesburg, Miss., improved to 19-36 overall and 6-18 in league play.
Following Muth's grand slam, right fielder J.R. Bond reached on an error, shortstop Ryan Metcalf walked and left fielder Steven Turner singled to reload the bases. Second baseman Jorge Guitierrez drove in a pair with an RBI single through the left side of the infield, centerfielder Levi Patmon plated two more with a triple to right, and a balk by Tulane reliever Jonathan Garrett allowed Patmon to score from third to account for the final run of the weekend.
Blazers' reliever Lyle Northington came on with just one out in the top of the first and went the rest of the way for UAB. He allowed three runs on seven hits while walking six and striking out three to improve to 3-6 on the year. Junior right-hander Daniel Latham was tagged with the loss after allowing five runs on four this while striking out one and walking a pair.
Sophomore second baseman Brad Emaus and junior designated hitter Tim Guidry had two hits each, but UAB out-hit the Green Wave 18-9. Sixteen of the Blazers' hits came after the third inning, including a three-run homer in the fourth by left fielder Stephen Turner to spearhead the UAB comeback.
Tulane returns to action on Wednesday, May 24, when the third-seeded Green Wave take on No. 6 seed East Carolina at 9 a.m. in the opening game of the 2006 Conference USA Tournament at Rice's Reckling Field in Houston, Texas. The winner of the C-USA Tourney earns the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals, which begin on Friday, June 2.
