University of Houston
UAB
Baseball Wins Series Finale at UAB on Sunday
4/20/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 20, 2008
Complete Houston-UAB Game Book )(April 20, 2008) in PDF Format 
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - University of Houston freshman reliever Chase Dempsay allowed only one run in 4.1 shutout innings with a career-best-tying six strikeouts to help lead the 19th-ranked Cougars to a 10-4 win over UAB in the finale of a Conference USA series at Young Memorial Field on Sunday.
The Baytown native entered the game with the Cougars the bases loaded, only one out and the Cougars clinging to a 5-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. After allowing a sacrifice fly, he struck out Austin Taylor to end the threat.
Dempsay would then allow only one more baserunner to reach second base while tying his career high with six strikeouts in the longest relief outing of his young collegiate career. He retired nine of the last 10 batters to improved to 4-1 this season.
After falling behind early, the Cougars broke the game open with five runs off five hits in the fourth inning and never looked back in winning their lone game of the series.
Freshman shortstop Blake Kelso went 3-for-5 with a run and stolen base to pace a Cougar offense, which outhit the Blazers 13-8. Sophomore centerfielder Zak Presley went 1-for-4 with a run and RBI to extend his career-best hitting streak to 12 games. Senior outfielder Jake Stewart went 2-for-3 with two doubles, a stolen base and two runs, while senior infielder Bryan Pounds batted 2-for-3 with two runs, double and three RBIs.
Freshman utility player Matt Murphy went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBIs.
UAB starter Kyle Roberson collected the loss and fell to 4-4 after giving up seven runs off nine hits and three walks with a pair of strikeouts in 6.1 innings.
Ryan Keedy went 3-for-4 with a run, double and RBI to top the Blazer offense, while Brint Hardy batted 2-for-3 with a stolen base.
With the win, the Cougars improved to 25-14 overall and 8-4 in C-USA games. UAB fell to 17-22 overall and 3-9 in league games.
The Cougars return to action at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday when they play host to McNeese State at Cougar Field in the team's lone non-conference game of the week. Fans can hear all Cougar Baseball games live at UHCougars.com by clicking the appropriate links. Jeremy Branham will call the play-by-play action while former letterwinner Pat Cauley provides color analysis.
Fans always can follow live stats by clicking on the Gametracker link.
For the first time in the series, the Blazers scored the game's first run when Allen Aubin's RBI-single plated Cody McMurry from second base in the second inning.
The Cougars grabbed their first lead in the fourth inning with five runs of five hits, two walks and a UAB error. After Kelso led off with a single to center and back-to-back walks to Stewart and Pounds loaded the bases, Jimmy Cesario lined a two-run double into left center. Ryan Lormand followed with a single through the right side to plate Pounds. With runners on the corner, Lormand stole second and moved to third when an errant throw to second base sailed into center field, allowing Cesario to score easily.
Matt Murphy capped the scoring with an RBI-single into center field that scored Lormand and gave the Cougars a 5-1 cushion.
UAB answered in the bottom of the frame with a run on Aubin's sacrifice fly to left field, which allowed Keedy to score from third for a 5-2 Houston lead.
In the fifth inning, Stewart and Pounds laced back-to-back doubles to push the Cougar lead back to four runs at 6-2.
The score remained that way until the seventh inning when the Cougars loaded the bases after a walk to Presley, a single by Kelso and Stewart was by a pitch. Pounds then lifted a sacrifice fly into center field to plate Presley for a 7-2 Cougar lead.
In the eighth inning, Austin Goolsby drew a two-out walk and came all the way around to score when Presley smashed a double off the left-field wall.
The Cougars added two more runs in the ninth inning when Stewart led off with a double to center field and scored on Pounds' RBI-single to center field. Pounds eventually scored on Murphy's two-out double down the left-field line.
UAB scored two more runs in the bottom of the ninth on Phil Bell's RBI-single and Keedy's RBI-double but would get no closxer.
