Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
UAB
Baseball Completes Series Sweep with 10-3 Triumph at UAB
4/16/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 16, 2006
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Marshall baseball team completed its first three-game sweep in a road conference series in a dozen years with a 10-3 victory over UAB Sunday at Young Memorial Field in Birmingham, Ala. Marshall's last such sweep came in 1994 when the Thundering Herd took three straight from The Citadel in Southern Conference play. With its 16th win, the Herd also has already matched its win total from all of 2005.
Marshall not only swept the series but thoroughly dominated, outscoring UAB 41-13 in the three games, while cranking out 43 hits to 28 for the Blazers.
The Thundering Herd posted eight runs in the second inning Sunday and made them stand, as starting pitcher Brian Chrisman (So., Pittsburgh, Pa.) tossed seven strong innings and tied a career high with nine strikeouts. He allowed three earned runs, seven hits and did not walk a batter as he moved to 2-4 this season. Brendon Bump (Sr., Lawrence, Kan.) pitched two scoreless innings with four strikeouts to complete the sweep.
Brendan Murphy (Jr., Chattanooga, Tenn.) went 3-for-4 with a double and grand slam, and Aaron Levinson (Sr., Seattle, Wash.) cranked a two-run homer. Chris Monaco (Sr., Tucson, Ariz.) went 3-for-5 for his third-consecutive multiple-hit game in the series, while Adam Frederick (Sr., Franklin, Pa.) extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a single in the ninth inning.
UAB starter Grant Addison (1-2) did not survive the eight-run second, as he was lifted after 1.2 innings. He allowed six hits, six earned runs and two walks while striking out two.
After both teams went scoreless in the first inning, Marshall (16-16, 4-8 C-USA) went off in the second by scoring eight times and sending 11 batters to the plate. Murphy led off with a double to center and Brent Mason (Sr., Sherwood, Ark.) drew a walk. After a Brit Vincent (Jr., Bowling Green, Ky.) sacrifice bunt, Adam Ptacek (Sr., Assaria, Kan.) singled to center to score two runs. Levinson followed with a two-run home run, his third of the year, to give Marshall a 4-0 lead. Monaco followed with a double, but was thrown out attempting to steal third base when Frederick walked.
After Rich Russell (Sr., Toronto, Ontario) singled, UAB replaced Addison with Drew Murray, but he promptly walked Roddy Stieger (Sr., West Chester, Ohio) to load the bases. Murphy followed with a grand slam to right center, his team-leading eighth homer of the season, to give Marshall an 8-0 cushion.
UAB (13-24, 0-9) answered with a run in the bottom of the second on a Ryne Lovdahl RBI single. The Blazers added a run in the fifth on a Steven Turner home run, then scored one more in the sixth on a Danny Sawyer sacrifice fly.
Marshall increased its lead to 10-3 with two runs in the ninth inning, as Monaco and Russell crossed the plate on two Jacob Legg wild pitches.
Marshall continues its eight-game road trip Tuesday with a 5 p.m. contest at Virginia Tech (14-22, 2-16 ACC). The Herd gets back to Conference USA play next weekend with a three-game series at East Carolina.
