The 10th ranked Alabama Crimson Tide defeated the South Alabama Jaguars 6-5 in 10 innings on Tuesday day at Sewell-Thomas Stadium in Tuscaloosa. The Tide improved to 21-1 while the Jags fell to 10-10.
Junior right hander JT Blackwood drew the starting assignment against Tyler Smith for South Alabama. Blackwood retired the first two batters he faced before allowing back to back singles. A fly ball to left fielder Kade Snell ended the inning. Smith had a quick 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the first, Bryce Fowler and Justin LeBron both hit balls deep to deep left field that were hauled in.
Blackwood was sick in the dugout and was replaced by Aeden Finateri in the top of the second inning. Finateri allowed one hit and coaxed three fly outs. The Tide got on the board in the bottom of the inning. With two outs Brennen Norton singled to right field, and advanced to third on a single by Snell. Catcher Will Plattner laced a double to left field to score Norton and send Snell to third base. Snell and Plattner were stranded when Richie Bonomolo, Jr. flew out to end the inning.
Finateri had a perfect third inning before running into trouble in the fourth. Finateri hit Duncan Matthews with a pitch on an 0-2 count and Robert Miranda followed with a single. Tate Robertson was called in from the bullpen to replace Finateri. Rett Johnson laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to advance both runners. Greg Pettay then single in both runners to give the Jags the lead at 2-1. Lucas Ismaili lifted a pop up that fell in the Bermuda Triangle between three Alabama defenders. Ty Brooks singled to right and when Pettay ran through a stop sign at third base he was tagged out after a strong throw from Snell. Brennan Holt singled to score two more runs and USA hard seized a 4-1 lead over the Tide. Coulson Buchanan replaced Robertson on the mound and induced a pop up to end the uprising.
The Tide was able to retake the lead in the bottom of the fifth on a two out rally. Smith retired the first two batters of the frame before LeBron drew a walk, followed by a single by Coleman Mizell. Jason Torres flipped a single into short left field to score LeBron. South Alabama replaced Smith with Dalton Brooks to face Will Hodo. On a 1-1 pitch Hodo blasted his seventh home run of the year into the right field plaza for the 5-4 lead.
Buchanan had a perfect top of the fifth and with two out and one on in the sixth was replaced by Beau Bryans. Bryans got Holt to ground out to first base to end the inning. Bryans continued in the seventh and quickly recorded two outs, before a walk, a single, and a passed ball, put both runners in scoring position. Bryans disposed of Johnson with a strikeout to maintain the lead for the Tide.
Bama got two on in the bottom of the seventh on a single by LeBron and a hit by pitch to Torres. A pop out and a ground ball ended the threat with the Tide still leading 5-4. Braylon Myers was called on to pitch the eighth and continued his outstanding year with a 12 pitch inning with two strikeouts and a fly out. Myers has been virtually untouchable this season for the Tide. Alabama tried to add some insurance in the bottom of the eighth and had two men on via the walk, but couldn’t drive them in.
Closer Carson Ozmer was brought in to shut the game down in the top of the ninth. After a ground out the Jags John Smith smoked a home run off of Ozmer to tied the game at five each. Kyle Morrison flew out for the second out before two walks put the go ahead run at second base. Ozmer struck out Johnson to end the inning.
The Tide went out in the order of the ninth, sending the game into extra innings. Austin Morris took over on the hill for Bama in the top of the tenth. Morris used only nine pitches to get two ground outs and a strikeout, setting the Tide up with a chance to win in the bottom half. Norton flew out to start the frame, bringing Snell to the plate. The team Captain was given a green light on a 3-0 pitch and sent the home team fans happy with an opposite field walk-off home run and a 6-5 victory.
Bama hit 8-36 with four walks, two hit batters, four strikeouts, one double, two home runs, a stolen base, and left nine men on base. Hodo drove in three with his home run, Snell finished 2-4 with a walk, an RBI, a run, and a home run. Plattner continued his hot hitting with a 1-3 night, a walk, a double, and a run driven in. Morris was the winning pitcher and is now 1-0 on the season.
South Alabama had 12 hits in 40 at bats, drew three walks, and one hit batter, struck out 11 times, and left 10 on base. Smith, Pettay, Ismaili, and Miranda, had two hits each. Brian Garmon was the loser after allowing Snell’s home run.
The Tide continues to show they can win games even when they don’t play their best. Coach Rob Vaughn said after the game “that wasn’t the prettiest of games, but we are just tough and gritty, and thats what we hang our hat on.” Vaughn continued that “Coulson Buchanan did a great job and settled the game down for us to give (Will) Hodo a chance to give us the lead on his home run” and “Austin Morris came in and did an outstanding job to give Kade a chance to win it, which he did.”
Next up is a Thursday-Friday-Saturday home series with the nations number one team, the Tennessee Volunteers. Game one is on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. CT and will be shown on ESPNU. Friday’s game is at 6 p.m. CT and Saturday’s contest is at 1 p.m. CT. The last two games will be on the SEC Network Plus. The Tide will use the same rotation of Zane Adams, Riley Quick, and Bobby Alcock against the Vols.
Roll Tide
Bama Baseball Fever, Catch it
