Case Deals as Tigers Advance Past UAB in American Conference Tournament

Thursday, May 21

Clearwater, Fla.

4:25 p.m.

University of Memphis

24-32

UAB

31-25

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Memphis	0	4	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	7	10	0
UAB	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	3	8	5

Case Deals as Tigers Advance Past UAB in American Conference Tournament

May 21, 2026 | Baseball

Box Score

CLEARWATER, Fla. – The University of Memphis (24-32) baseball team defeated UAB (31-25), 7-3, Thursday evening at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Fla., advancing in the American Conference Tournament.

After falling behind 2-0 in the opening inning, the Tigers responded immediately and never trailed again, using a four-run second inning and a dominant outing from graduate student David Case to earn the victory. Memphis collected 10 hits on the night while taking advantage of five UAB errors to continue its postseason run.

Freddy Rodriguez led the offense with a 3-for-5 performance that included a home run, two runs scored and an RBI. Marcus Smith added a two-run homer in the second inning, while Shane Cox recorded two hits and an RBI. James Smith IV collected two hits and drove in a run, and Javon Hernandez added a hit while swiping two bases.

Case (6-8) earned the win after delivering one of his strongest performances of the season, allowing three runs across 8.0 innings while striking out five. Carson Fair shut the door in the ninth, striking out two in a scoreless inning of relief.

Memphis will now face No. 1 seed UTSA tomorrow, with first pitch scheduled for 47 minutes following the conclusion of the Rice-East Carolina matchup, which is set to begin at 8 a.m. Central.

HOW IT HAPPENED

UAB struck first in the opening frame, using a two-RBI single from Brady Waugh to take an early 2-0 lead.
Memphis answered in the second inning with a four-run outburst. Tyler Harrington drove in the Tigers' first run on a groundout before Marcus Smith launched a two-run homer to right field. The next batter, Freddy Rodriguez followed with a solo shot to give Memphis a 4-2 advantage.
UAB trimmed the deficit to one in the fourth inning on an RBI double from Andrew Hunt, but the Tigers limited further damage after cutting down Hunt attempting to take third.
Memphis created separation in the seventh inning. Rodriguez singled and Javon Hernandez followed with a base hit before UAB miscues opened the door for three runs. James Smith IV brought home a run on a fielder's choice and Shane Cox later added an RBI groundout to stretch the lead to 7-3.
David Case retired six of the final seven batters he faced before Carson Fair finished off the win in the ninth to send Memphis into the next round of the tournament.

NOTABLES

Freddy Rodriguez and Javon Hernandez stole bases for the Tigers, bringing the team's season total to 130 steals, which ranks in the top 25 nationally and first in the conference.
- The 130 steals are the second-most in a single season in school history.
- Rodriguez extended the Memphis single-season stolen base record to 45.
  - The 45 steals rank first in the conference and third in the nation.
- Hernandez stole his 26^th and 27^th bases of the year, third most in the conference.
Memphis starter David Case pitched an absolute gem, finishing with three runs allowed on seven hits across eight innings and 118 pitches.
- Case's start was the longest outing of any Memphis pitcher this season, and the longest of his career by innings and pitches.
- Case recorded his eighth quality start of the season and his ninth appearance going 6.0+ innings.
Third baseman Freddy Rodriguez continued his dominant run in the conference tournament, going 3-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI.
- Through two games of the tournament Freddy is batting .778 (7-for-9) with four runs scored, two doubles, a homer, two RBI, a walk, and two stolen bases.
- Rodriguez now leads the Tigers in hits (66), batting average (.301) and multi-hit games (19).
- Rodriguez also blasted his fourth home run of the season in the second inning.
Right fielder Marcus Smith provided a clutch two-run blast in the second inning to give the Tigers the lead.
- The homer was his third of the season as he recorded his fourth multi-RBI game thus far.
Left fielder James Smith IV had a two-hit day with an RBI.
- Smith tallied his team-leading 54^th RBI, which ranks fifth in the conference.
- Smith has now totaled 55 hits and 15 multi-hit games this year.
First baseman Tyler Harrington recorded a double and an RBI for Memphis.
- Harrington's double is his seventh of the season.
Second baseman Shane Cox went 2-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI.
- Cox recorded his RBI on a groundout in the seventh and notched his 17^th multi-hit game.

SCORING SUMMARY

Bottom 1:
Brady Waugh singled, Kevin Hall Jr. and Landon Beaver scored.
Memphis 0, UAB 2

Top 2:
Tyler Harrington grounded out, Shane Cox scored.
Marcus Smith homered, Michael Gupton scored.
Freddy Rodriguez homered.
Memphis 4, UAB 2

Bottom 4:
Andrew Hunt doubled, Brady Waugh scored.
Memphis 4, UAB 3

Top 7:
James Smith IV reached on a fielder's choice, Freddy Rodriguez and Javon Hernandez scored on a throwing error.
Shane Cox grounded out, Brady McAbee scored.
Memphis 7, UAB 3

UP NEXT

Memphis will face No. 1 seed UTSA tomorrow at BayCare Park. The game is scheduled to start 47 minutes after the first game of the day, which starts at 8 a.m. central time.

HOW TO FOLLOW THE TIGERS: For complete information on Memphis Tiger Baseball, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.