BATON ROUGE — Right fielder Cole Helms’ solo home run broke a 3-3 tie in the sixth and starter Randy Mills went seven strong innings as UAB snapped LSU’s 15-game home winning streak, 4-3, at Alex Box Stadium on Sunday.
The Tigers (11-3) had won the series with wins on Friday and Saturday, but the Blazers (7-5) salvaged a game with timely hits off of starter Greg Smith, despite being out-hit eight to five.
LSU’s last home loss occurred in an 8-0 defeat to Vanderbilt in an SEC series finale on May 16, 2004.
“It’s obvious that the guys hitting .240 in the lineup contributed last year,” said head coach Smoke Laval. “If they don’t get it done, it is going to be a long year. Until they quit fighting it and get through the pressure barrier, we are going to struggle.”
Second-ranked LSU hosts top-ranked Tulane beginning at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in the first of two much-anticipated meetings between the teams this season.
Smith (3-1) suffered his first loss of the season, allowing four runs — two earned — on four hits and striking out eight, just one shy of his career high. The junior southpaw committed two throwing errors that led to both unearned runs, while two of his three walks crossed home.
Mills (1-0) finished with an impressive line, limiting LSU to three runs on six hits. The junior right-hander fired 104 pitches and registered four strikeouts and only two walks.
Second baseman Clay Harris led the Tigers at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one RBI.
Trailing 1-0 in the third, Ryan Patterson jump started a three-run, two-out rally drilling a double to left to put runners at second and third. Blake Gill then delivered a clutch double the other way into the left field corner, plating J.P. Padron and Patterson.
Clay Harris added an RBI single in the frame, giving LSU a 3-1 advantage after three innings of play.
In the fifth, Smith’s two walks and his second throwing error of aided UAB. Smith fielded a routine groundball off Ryan Metcalf’s bat and fired down to first, pulling Will Harris off of the bag. Two batters later, Dan Stucky continued his series success with a two-run single into right field.
Helms then cranked his leadoff solo homer in the sixth to give UAB only its second lead of the series.
Smith left two batters later, giving way to freshman reliever Eric English.
UAB’s ninth error of the series presented the Tigers with a serious scoring threat in the seventh. Derek Hebert reached on a fielding error by the shortstop Metcalf. Two batters later, Bruce Sprowl drew a walk, giving Patterson a chance to drive in another two-out run with a timely hit. But Mills forced a fielder’s choice groundball to end the frame.
Reliever Eric Roberts picked up where Mills left, silencing the LSU bats in the eighth and ninth. Roberts surrendered a pinch-hit single to Michael Hollander to start the ninth, but Hebert’s pop-out bunt failed to advance the runners.
Roberts recorded the final two outs with a pop fly and groundout to preserve his first save of the season.
Alabama-Birmingham 4, LSU 3 (Mar 06, 2005 at Baton Rouge, La.)
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Alabama-Birmingham.. 100 021 000 – 4 5 1 (7-5)
LSU……………………….003 000 000 – 3 8 3 (11-3)
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Pitchers: Alabama-Birmingham – Mills; Roberts(8). LSU – Smith; English(6); Faircloth(9).
Win-Mills(1-0) Save-Roberts(1) Loss-Smith(3-1) T-2:38 A-7605
HR UAB – Helms (3).
Actual attendance: 3,773