
Baseball Falls 3-2 at UAB Saturday Afternoon to Drop C-USA Series
4/30/2022 5:49:00 PM | Baseball
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Three UAB pitchers limited No. 4 Southern Miss to three hits as the Blazers captured a Conference USA series by virtue of a 3-2 victory Saturday afternoon at Young Memorial Field.
The Golden Eagles (33-10 overall, 16-4 C-USA) lost consecutive games for only the second time this season, having been swept in a three-game set at Dallas Baptist back in mid-March.
Leo Harris allowed the first three batters to reach base to start the game as the Golden Eagles scored two runs during the inning but retired the next 15 of 17 batters over his six-inning stint to earn a victory and improve to 2-1.
Jonah Smith added two strong relief innings where he allowed a lone hit and fanned two, while Aidan Moza retired all three batters in the ninth to earn his second save.
With the Golden Eagles leading 2-1, UAB plated their final two runs of the game in the fourth. The Blazers got a runner on via a hit by pitch and then a single to open the frame off Golden Eagle starter Hunter Riggins. After a sacrifice bunt, Brandon Willoughby drove in both runs with a single to center.
For the second-straight contest, the Golden Eagles jumped out to an early 2-0 lead. UAB starter Leo Harris walked Gabe Montenegro to open the game and then hit Dustin Dickerson with a pitch. Carson Paetow then followed with an RBI single before Slade Wilks added a sacrifice fly in the opening inning.
The Blazers plated their first run in the bottom of the frame with a lead off home run by John Marc Mullins for his third home run of the year.
Riggins gave up three runs on six hits with two walks and six strikeouts to suffer the loss and fall to 5-3.
The Golden Eagles got one final chance in the eighth as Blake Johnson reached on a one-out fielding error by the UAB third baseman. After another out, Dickerson single up the middle. Paetow, who had two of the visitors' three hits, flew out to center to end the rally.
The final game of the series is set for 1 p.m., Sunday.
The Golden Eagles (33-10 overall, 16-4 C-USA) lost consecutive games for only the second time this season, having been swept in a three-game set at Dallas Baptist back in mid-March.
Leo Harris allowed the first three batters to reach base to start the game as the Golden Eagles scored two runs during the inning but retired the next 15 of 17 batters over his six-inning stint to earn a victory and improve to 2-1.
Jonah Smith added two strong relief innings where he allowed a lone hit and fanned two, while Aidan Moza retired all three batters in the ninth to earn his second save.
With the Golden Eagles leading 2-1, UAB plated their final two runs of the game in the fourth. The Blazers got a runner on via a hit by pitch and then a single to open the frame off Golden Eagle starter Hunter Riggins. After a sacrifice bunt, Brandon Willoughby drove in both runs with a single to center.
For the second-straight contest, the Golden Eagles jumped out to an early 2-0 lead. UAB starter Leo Harris walked Gabe Montenegro to open the game and then hit Dustin Dickerson with a pitch. Carson Paetow then followed with an RBI single before Slade Wilks added a sacrifice fly in the opening inning.
The Blazers plated their first run in the bottom of the frame with a lead off home run by John Marc Mullins for his third home run of the year.
Riggins gave up three runs on six hits with two walks and six strikeouts to suffer the loss and fall to 5-3.
The Golden Eagles got one final chance in the eighth as Blake Johnson reached on a one-out fielding error by the UAB third baseman. After another out, Dickerson single up the middle. Paetow, who had two of the visitors' three hits, flew out to center to end the rally.
The final game of the series is set for 1 p.m., Sunday.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: L. Harris (2-1)
L: Riggins, Hunter (5-3)
S: A. Moza (2)

Batting:
RBI: Paetow, Carson 1 ; Wilks, Slade 1
SF: Wilks, Slade 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Montenegro, Gabe 1 ; Dickerson, Dustin 1
HBP: Dickerson, Dustin 1
PO: Cedarburg, Matt 1

Batting:
2B: J. Mullins 1
HR: J. Mullins 1
RBI: J. Mullins 1 ; Willoughby 2
SH: H. Hunter 1 ; M. Golda 1
Base Running:
RUNS: J. Mullins 1 ; T. Waugh 1 ; C. Floyd 1
SB: H. Hunter 1
CS: J. Mullins 1
HBP: T. Waugh 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
Players Mentioned
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