BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Friday's UAB-Southern Illinois baseball game was suspended in the middle of the eighth inning with the Blazers leading 11-5 as severe thunderstorms moved through the metropolitan Birmingham area and pounded the UAB campus.

The game will be resumed at 1:00 pm CST Saturday. The regularly scheduled game between the two, which was originally set for 2:00 pm , will follow shortly thereafter.

The Salukis drew first blood in the third inning. Second baseman Dane Kerley reached on an infield single and Blazer starter Rob Caputo hit two consecutive SIU batters, Nick Baughman and Ryan Murray , to load the bases. With one out, third baseman Luke Nelson reached on a fielder's choice driving in Kerley from third base to make the score 1-0.

UAB responded with four runs in the bottom of the third, highlighted by an RBI single by first baseman Brandon Isbell and a two-run double by designated hitter Chris George .

Southern Illinois tied the game in the top of the fourth as Baughman, Murray and center fielder Cory Newman each drove in runs with singles. The Salukis were aided by two UAB errors in the inning.

UAB took a 9-4 lead in the bottom of the fifth inning as right fielder Christian Reimers led off with a triple and then scored on Mitch Jones' RBI single. Jones then scored on a groundout by Isbell, and George drove in left fielder Cory Acklus with a single. Southern Illinois starter Billy Hardin was then replaced by Jerel Deitering, who was greeted rudely by the first batter he faced, Blazer second baseman Nick Clark , who slammed a two-run homer to right center field.

The Blazers added two more runs in the sixth inning on a two-run homer by Jones, also off Deitering.

Southern Illinois scored a run in the top of the seventh as Newman led off with a home run to right field off Blazer reliever Joe Yarbrough .