Box Score
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Behind a four-run second and a two-run fourth, UAB earned an 11-5 win over Radford in non-conference baseball on Saturday afternoon at Young Memorial Field.
UAB (2-0) trailed 2-0 heading into the bottom of the second inning before a four-run outburst gave the Blazers a lead they would not lose. Jonathan Merritt plated two runs with a single in the inning, and Cody McMurry laced a double to bring two more home and give UAB a 4-2 advantage.
The Blazers picked up two more runs in the fourth inning, scoring one on a Brint Hardy single and another when Luke Stewart was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded as the Blazers extended their lead to 6-2.
That was all the run support the UAB pitching combination of Shay Crawford and Nick Graffeo would need. Crawford earned the win in his first start of the season, allowing three runs on five hits while striking out five batters in 5.1 innings of work. He then handed the ball over to Graffeo, who threw the final 3.2 innings to earn his first save of the season.
Senior first baseman Alex Gregory (Great Falls, Va./Paul VI) led the Highlanders (0-2) offensively with a 2-for-4 day. Junior right-hander Aerik Taylor (Williamsport, Md./Hagerstown C.C.) took the loss (0-1) on the mound, allowing four runs – just one earned – in two innings of work.
Senior left fielder Will Naylor's (Clifton, Va./Paul VI) solo homer to lead off the top of the second put the Highlanders ahead, 2-0.
It marked the second consecutive game the Blazers had a strong pitching performance out of their bullpen. In Friday's season opener, Tristan Farrell pitched 4.0 scoreless innings in relief to earn the win.
In Saturday's game, Radford trimmed the Blazer lead to three runs at 6-3 in the sixth inning on an RBI groundout from senior third baseman Ben Toth (Bedford, N.H./Manchester). But UAB put the game away with five runs in the eighth.
Allen Aubin highlighted the eighth-inning scoring with a three-RBI double, and UAB also scored runs on an Andrew Manning single and a bases-loaded walk by Stewart.
With the victory, UAB takes a 2-0 lead in the weekend series. The Blazers and Highlanders will close out the weekend Sunday with the series finale, slated for 2 p.m. Eastern at Young Memorial Field.
(From UAB Reports)
