May 23, 2008

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NEW ORLEANS, La. - UAB first baseman Ryan Keedy hammered a walk-off home run to left center field to break a 4-all tie and lift the eighth-seeded Blazers team to a 5-4 victory over fourth-seeded Houston in day three of the 2008 Entergy Conference USA Baseball Championship at the new Greer Field at Turchin Stadium.

UAB led 4-0 after seven innings, but the Cougar offense came alive in the eighth with four runs of their own courtesy of a bases-loaded walk, an RBI-single by Bryan Pounds and a two-run hit by Jimmy Cesario to tie the ballgame. Houston reliever Chase Dempsay retired the Blazers in order in the bottom of the inning, but saw his third pitch of the ninth sail over the wall to end the ballgame.

Lost in the late-inning dramatics was a solid performance by UAB starting pitcher Mitch Kloskowski, who fanned five while allowing four runs on six hits and a pair of walks in 7.1 innings. Billy Lichtner (1-1) earned the win after allowing a pair of hits and posting a strikeout in 1.2 innings out of the bullpen.

UAB got two runs on two hits in the first and added another run in the second to begin the scoring. Jonathan Merritt and Nick Crawford led off with walks to begin the bottom of the first, before Keedy then singled up the middle to load the bases. After a Cody McMurry strikeout, Luke Stewart grounded out, but drove in Merritt for the first run of the game. Brint Hardy was plunked to reload the bases and Phil Bell followed with a single through the right side to make it 2-0.

Merritt hit a triple to the right center field gap with one out in the second, before Crawford singled him home for the 3-0 advantage.

This was just the second time in tournament history that a No. 8 seed has won its first two games and also marked just the second time that UAB, a charter member of the league, has won its first two games to advance directly to the semifinals.

Chase Dempsay took the loss for the Cougars and falls to 5-3 on the season. Starter John Touchton went 4.2 innings, giving up nine hits, four runs and recorded two strikeouts.

With the win, UAB (26-32) remains in the winner's bracket and will take on the winner of tonight's Houston/East Carolina ballgame on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. Houston (35-22), meanwhile, falls into the loser's bracket and will play East Carolina tonight at 7:30 p.m.