Marshall University Athletics
Two Monumental UAB Innings Doom Herd, Lose 12-1
3/1/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Two Monumental UAB Innings Doom Herd, Lose 12-1
3/1/2003
- Box Score
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ? The University of Alabama at Birmingham recorded 12 hits to trounce the Thundering Herd 12-1 on Saturday at Young Memorial Field in the second day of the UAB Tournament.
Marshall (2-5) held UAB in check for the first four innings, as starting pitcher Rick Suter (St. Clairsville, Ohio) allowed only two hits and one run through the first four frames. With the game knotted at 1-1, the Blazers exploded in the fifth and sixth innings, scoring five and six runs, respectively.
Daniel Hill and Steve Martin hit home runs for the Blazers (12-0), as they set a Conference-USA record for consecutive wins to start a season.
The UAB bats were hot in the fifth inning, when second baseman Seth Rollin led things off with a double off of the left-center field wall. Suter, though, promptly retired the next two Blazers before giving up three consecutive singles that scored three runs. A costly Herd error in the outfield continued the inning and subsequently allowed two more runs to cross the plate.
The Herd encountered more problems in the sixth inning, when UAB plated six runs, highlighted by Hill?s two-run home run to left field.
Marshall?s initial at bat in the top of the first inning showed promise when Mike Koitsopoulos (Markham, Ont.), for the second straight day, led the game off with a first-pitch base hit. Corie O?Bryan (Frederick, Md.) stepped to the plate with Koitsopoulos on second base and Joe Glevenyak (West Palm Beach, Fla.) on first with no outs. But, the third baseman hit into a 4-6-3 double play, followed by a Francois Larmore (Magnolia, N.J.) ground out, ending the potential threat.
UAB got on the scoreboard first when Martin knocked his first home run of the season over the left field wall in the third inning. His solo shot was the first round tripper that Suter (0-1) has allowed in his three starts thus far in 2003.
Marshall could not cash in with runners in scoring position, as Bryan Helmer (Huntington, W. Va.) led off the third inning with a walk before advancing to second base on a Koitsopoulos sacrifice bunt. UAB starter Jon Burgett (3-0) attempted to pick Helmer off at second base, but instead threw the ball into center field allowing him to get to third with only one out. Glevenyak and O?Bryan were unable to bring in the runner, stranding the Herd left fielder at third base.
The Thundering Herd tied the game at 1-1 in the fourth inning, thanks to an RBI ground out by Gregg Hiller (Greenville, Ohio) that scored Larmore. Prior to that, Rich Russell (Toronto, Ont.) registered a sacrifice bunt that sent Larmore to third base after he was hit by a pitch and subsequently stole second.
Marshall will finish off the tournament on Sunday versus Eastern Illinois. The Panthers defeated Kentucky on Saturday by a 4-3 final score in 10 innings. Chris Koutsavlis (Pittsburgh, Pa.) will get his first career start on the mound versus EIU at 11 a.m.
