April 23, 2006
ORLANDO - UAB catcher Danny Sawyer was 3-for-4 with four RBI and five runs scored to lead the Blazers to a 16-4 victory over host UCF Sunday afternoon in the rubber game of the Conference USA series. UAB (15-26, 2-10 C-USA) pounded out 15 hits and took advantage of six UCF errors to win its first C-USA series of the season.
One day after stranding 16 runners on base, the UCF bats went quiet again Sunday, leaving 10 runners on base.
UAB was retired in order just once as the Blazers scored in six of the nine innings.
Lyle Northington (2-5) threw 149 pitches over eight innings for the win. He allowed five hits and one run with three strikeouts. Freshman Kyle Sweat (2-3) yielded four runs on five hits in 3.2 innings in a losing effort for the Golden Knights.
The Blazers scored two in the first before UCF answered with a three-spot in the home half of the first to take a 3-2 lead.
UAB added single runs in the second and third innings before posting four runs in the sixth and five in the seventh to break the game open.
In the four-run sixth, Sawyer provided the big hit with a three-run home run off UCF reliever Brian Brooks.
With UAB leading 8-4 entering the seventh, the Blazers came through with five runs in the seventh and three in the ninth to close out the scoring at 16-4.
Six UAB players finished with multi-hit games while freshman Dave DiNatale went 2-for-5 with a RBI and run scored for the Golden Knights.
UCF continues its eight-game homestand next weekend with a three-game series vs. No. 1 Rice. The series begins Friday at 6:30 p.m. from Jay Bergman Field.