Houston Advances to C-USA Championshp Game With 3-1 Win Over UAB
May 25, 2008
Photo Gallery NEW ORLEANS, La. - Jared Ray tossed 6.2 innings of shutout baseball and shortstop Blake Kelso went 3-for-5 as the fourth-seeded Houston baseball team defeated No. 8 seed UAB, 3-1, in day four of the 2008 Entergy Conference USA Championship at Greer Field at Turchin Stadium. With the win, the Cougars (38-22) advance to the C-USA Championship Game, where they will take on the winner of tomorrow morning's Southern Miss/Marshall matchup. UAB (26-34), meanwhile, was eliminated from the tournament. The game between the Golden Eagles and Thundering Herd is slated to begin at 9 a.m. and the championship game will begin approximately 45 minutes afterward. Kelso led the Cougars 11-hit attack, and was joined in the multiple-hit category by Bryan Pounds and Zak Presley who had two hits apiece. Caleb Ramsey singled home Presley in the second, Presley scored on an error in the fourth, and Chris Wallace ripped a pinch-hit single up the middle in the eighth to score Presley as he accounted for all three of Houston's runs. The Blazers made things interesting in the bottom of the ninth as Billy Lichtner ripped an RBI single to center to make it a two-run ballgame, but Houston reliever Chris Wright bounced back to post a groundout and a fly ball to center to send the Cougars to the title game for the sixth time in the 13-year history of C-USA. Ray (3-2) struck out six and allowed just two hits and two walks during his time on the hill, and Wes Musick - who started on the mound for the Cougars in Wednesday's tourney opener - tossed 1.1 scoreless innings before being lifted in favor of Wright. Wright allowed one run on two hits in the final frame to pick up his second save of the year. UAB starter James Oliver (4-5) was saddled with the loss after allowing two runs (one earned) on six hits and four walks while striking out one in 6.0 solid innings. Lichtner, meanwhile, allowed one run on five hits and a walk while striking out two the rest of the way. Sunday's championship game will be televised same-day, tape delayed at 9 p.m. (CDT) on the CBS College Sports Network.
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