MILLINGTON, Tenn. – A career
pitching performance from Brandon Dill
and a seven run, seventh inning led the
12th-ranked University of
West Alabama baseball team to a 11-5
victory over North Alabama in the 2008
Gulf South Conference Baseball
Tournament. The double digit win, the 24th
of the season, eliminated the Lions from
the tournament.
Dill,
a Columbus, Miss.-native, recorded a
career-high, 10 strikeouts in six
innings of action of work. The double
digit strikeouts ties the All-GSC First
Teamer for fifth all-time in career
strikeouts with 161.
Tres
Avans doubled down the left field line
to score Jeremy Finney, a native of
Memphis, Tenn. for the first of the
seven runs. With the bases loaded, Nick
Wheeler drew a walk to score Rob
Dahlberg. Matt Busbee followed with a
three-RBI, double to right center to
score Wheeler, Todd Rea and Avans. Clint
Moody was then hit by a pitch for the
second time in the night, placing
runners at the corners. A Chris
Ransburgh single scored Busbee with the
final run coming on a Finney a single to
right field, scoring Moody.
Three
Lion runs in the bottom of the sixth
inning knotted the contest at 4-4. Trey
Pollard and Josh Graham scored on a ball
that got away from Brandon Dill covering
first base, narrowing the Red and White
lead to 4-3. One batter later, Qualon
Millender singled through the right side
to score Matt Horton.
After
Wheeler was intentionally walked with
two outs, UWA plated two runs in the top
of the fourth, as Busbee hit a triple
down the right field line to score Avans
and Wheeler. After Moody was hit by a
pitch, Busbee stole home, as Moody moved
to second on a failed pickoff attempt.
The Tigers pushed the lead to 4-1 in the
fifth inning, as Rea singled through the
right side to score Finney, pushing the
lead.
Josh
Graham singled down the left field line
to score Jeffery Ritter in UNA’s first
trip to the plate.
West Alabama returns to
action on Monday, May 5, as the Tigers
face Valdosta State in the third day of
the GSC Tournament. First pitch is
scheduled for 12:00 p.m. The game will
be aired on 104.9-FM and
athletics.uwa.edu.
