Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
UAB
Baseball Falls To UAB, 6-4
4/10/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 10, 2009
CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Senior centerfielder Nate Lape went yard for the seventh time this season but UAB was able to escape with a 6-4 win in Friday afternoon's Conference USA baseball game at Appalachian Power Park.
With the loss, Marshall falls to 13-19 overall, 4-6 in the conference, while UAB improves to 17-14 on the season, 2-5 in league action.
After the Thundering Herd pulled to within one at 5-4 in the bottom of the sixth inning, UAB added another run and Blazers' relief pitcher Blake Huddleston held Marshall scoreless for the remainder of the game, allowing no runs on two hits while striking out three batters en route to his second save of the season.
Marshall starter Arik Sikula suffered the loss and falls to 2-2 on the season, while UAB starter Beau Pender earned the victory and moves to 3-1 on the year. Pender did give up all four of the Herd's runs in 5.1 innings of work on the hill.
UAB used an RBI single and a sacrifice fly in the top of the third to take a 2-0 lead, before Digger Towe lifted a two-run homer to left field in the top of the fourth frame to extend the Blazers' lead to 4-0.
An RBI double to centerfield by Cody McMurry pushed that lead to 5-0 in the top of the fifth before Marshall got its bats going in the home half of the stanza.
Senior first baseman Brandon Casamassima singled up the middle to leadoff the frame before red-shirt freshman left fielder Rhett Stafford doubled him over to third giving Marshall two on in scoring position. From there, sophomore catcher Kevin Shackelford singled to left field, driving home both runs, cutting the deficit to 5-2.
The Herd cut into that lead again in the bottom of the sixth when Lape homered to left field to start the inning. Sophomore designated hitter Victor Gomez then singled through the right side and advanced to second on a one-out walk to Casamassima. Huddleston then entered the contest in place of Pender and gave up a walk to load the bases. From there, a sacrifice fly off the bat of Shackelford sent Gomez home with Marshall's fourth run of the contest, pulling the Herd to within one at 5-4 before a groundout ended the threat.
The Blazers answered with a run in the top of the seventh, extending its lead to 6-4.
Marshall had a chance to cut its gap in the bottom of the seventh when senior second baseman Adam Yeager doubled to left to start the frame and then moved to third on a sacrifice bunt, but was stranded 90 feet away as Huddleston fired two strikeouts to preserve the two-run lead.
Red-shirt senior left Andrew Blain replaced Sikula with two outs in the top of the fifth and tossed three frames of solid relief, allowing no hits and one unearned run. Sophomore righty Justin Moore replaced Blain and tossed a strikeout in two-thirds of an inning on the mound before junior hurler Austin Coan pitched the final two-thirds, fanning both batters he faced.
Stafford and Yeager each finished with two hits for Marshall, while Shackelford led the offensive charge with three RBIs. Yeager also stole a pair of bases, giving him 17 for the season and 64 in two season at Marshall.
The Herd and Blazers return to C-USA action, Saturday, with a 12:00 p.m. ET contest. Marshall sends junior right hander Dan Straily to the mound to face UAB's Shay Crawford. Sunday's series finale is set for a 1:00 p.m. start at Power Park.
