HOUSTON – The UAB baseball team used a five-run fifth inning to secure the 9-8 win over Rice on Sunday afternoon at Reckling Park. The Blazers move to 13-5, 2-1 C-USA on the season and 5-0 in weekend series games.
 
Four Blazers recorded three hits in the contest (John Marc Mullins, Christian Hall, Caleb Floyd and Darryl Buggs). Brandon Willoughby and Mullins recorded two RBIs in the contest.
 
Brooks Walton picked up his fourth win of the season after tossing 5.0 innings with four strikeouts. Collin Taylor earned his second save of the season.
 
Mullins got the Blazers going in the first with a leadoff double and was later brought in on a wild pitch. Rice (6-15, 1-2 C-USA) responded in the bottom half of the inning to make it a 1-1 game.
 
In the third, Buggs scored from first on a Matthew Golda single to give UAB a 2-1 lead.
 
The Blazers continued to extend their lead in the fifth after scoring five runs. Josh Sears hit his sixth home run of the season to lead off the inning. After back-to-back-to-back hits by Hall, Floyd and Willoughby the Blazers brought in two more runs. Hits by Buggs and Mullins added the fourth and fifth runs for UAB to make it a 7-1 game.
 
Rice responded in the sixth with four runs on five hits to cut the UAB lead to two at 7-5.
 
Buggs hit a triple to lead off the seventh and was brought in during the next at bat by Mullins for the 8-5 lead. Rice scored two in the inning to cut the lead to one at 8-7.
 
UAB added a run in the eighth on an Andre Roberts pinch hit single with two on to drive in a run, bringing the score to 9-7.
 
Looking for a rally in the ninth, Rice had the bases loaded with no outs and drove in a run on a fielder's choice to make it a one-run game. Collin Taylor was able to get the final three outs to secure the 9-8 win.
 
The Blazers return to the diamond on Tuesday night for a midweek matchup with Alabama at Regions Field. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. Fans can follow along with live stats through Sidearm Live Stats. The game will be broadcasted on CUSA.tv. This is a subscription-based service that offers a variety of packages. Click here to register for a new account.
 
Baseball season tickets are available by purchasing the 2021-22 Gold Card for $65. This exclusive offer grants admission to all UAB men's and women's soccer, volleyball, women's basketball and softball games in addition to all baseball home contests. Complete the Gold Card Request Form or contact the UAB Ticket Office at (205) 975-UAB1 for more details.
 
Single game tickets for the 2022 baseball season for games at Young Memorial Field and Regions Field are available by clicking here.
 
For more information on the UAB baseball team, follow @UAB_Baseball on Twitter and Instagram.