Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
UAB
Baseball Captures Series At UAB With 14-4 Victory
4/11/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 11, 2010
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Kirby Pellant and Isaac Ballou each ripped three hits, while Kurt Lipton and Thor Meeks each slugged two-run homers as the Marshall University baseball team defeated UAB, 14-4 in seven innings to win the rubber match of the three-game series on Sunday afternoon in Conference USA action at Young Memorial Field.
MU (13-17, 4-5 C-USA) scored 14 runs on 13 hits as the Thundering Herd captured its first C-USA series of the season with a 10-run mercy rule victory. Pellant finished the day 3-for-5 with four RBI out of the leadoff spot, while the second leadoff batter Ballou, in the No. 9 spot, went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and one RBI.
Herd starter Arik Sikula (4-2) worked the first six frames, holding the Blazers offense to just four runs, three earned on five hits. The right-handed junior collected four strikeouts to earn the win. James White and Kyle Blank combine to the get the final three outs in the seventh to preserve the 10 run victory.
The Thundering Herd decided to light up the scoreboard early and often against UAB (19-11, 5-4 C-USA) starter Ryan Woolley (2-3). After retiring leadoff batter Pellant, Kenny Socorro and Kurt Lipton laced back-to-back base hits before Victor Gomez walked to load the bases.
Next up for MU was third baseman Josh Valle. The senior had been moved down from his normal two-hole slot to the fifth position in the order and the lineup switch paid dividends. The senior smoked the first pitch he saw from Woolley to right center clearing the bases, which included a wrap-around highlight reel slide from V. Gomez for the third run. Woolley recorded the second out of the inning before DH Meeks destroyed a pitch for a two-run bomb off the batting cage roof in leftfield to round out the five-spot first inning.
UAB wanted to continue the scoring merry-go-round from the top half of the first as DH John Frost connected for a two-run homer to right, making the score 5-2 after only one full inning.
Ryan Ussery led off the second with a double to center and eventually scored on a two-out single to right by Jamal Austin.
After Woolley kept the Herd off the scoreboard in the second and third, MU added a run in the fourth. Meeks started the rally by drawing a free pass before Rhett Stafford and Ballou put the Blazers in a pickle with consecutive singles to load the bases with no outs. The UAB righty calmed the Herd by only surrendering one run thanks to a Socorro RBI fielder's choice.
Leading 6-3 entering the top of the fifth frame, the MU batters decided to bring, thunder, lightning and rain, pouring on seven runs to take a 13-3 advantage. Nathan Gomez knocked in older brother V. Gomez, who had reached earlier on a mucked grounder, with a RBI bloop single to left to start the storm. UAB made a pitching change, sending Woolley for shelter in exchange for Nick Graffeo after Meeks drew his second walk of the day. Following a free pass to Stafford, Ballou bolted a RBI single to left, keeping the sacks packed. Leadoff man Pellant chased three ducks home on a double to left center, and later Kurt Lipton smashed a two-run colossal deep fly to cap off the inning.
The Blazers pushed across a run in the bottom of the sixth, before MU tacked on some more offense in the top of the seventh. Ballou put down his second bunt single of the game and raced home on a RBI double from Pellant to round out the day's scoring.
