The 18th ranked Alabama Crimson Tide baseball team traveled to Homewood to play the Samford Bulldogs on Tuesday night. The Tide won a 11-7 in a game that started 30 minutes late because of rain, and then lasted 3 hours and 35 minutes as both teams walked several batters and 15 total pitchers were utilized by the teams. Alabama is now 12-0 in midweek games and 32-10 overall while the Bulldogs fell to 22-18 on the season.
The Tide started Bobby Alcock on the mound against Samford’s Brooks Rice. Neither pitcher had a good outing. Justin LeBron walked with one out and was safe at second when Samford was not able to record an out on a Kade Snell ground ball. Richie Bonomolo, Jr then punched a singled through the right side to plate LeBron. Snell later scored on a wild pitch for a quick 2-0 first inning lead. Alcock allowed a lead off home run to Jeffrey Ince and which was followed by a walk to Jackson Harris. A wild pitch put Harris on second, followed by a walk to Cade Carr. Alcock notched a pair of strikeouts around a walk that loaded the bases, then got a circus catch by Bonomolo in centerfield. Angelo Prieto drove a pitch deep to centerfield that Bonomolo hauled in as he crashed into the wall. The first inning ended with Bama ahead 2-1.
Alabama added two more in the top of the second. Will Hodo led off with his 9th home run of the season. Garrett Staton then doubled in the left-center gap. Strikeouts by Will Plattner and Bryce Fowler brought LeBron to the plate with two outs. The superstar shortstop roped a single to left to score Staton. The run driven in was LeBron’s nation leading 60th of the year. The Tide led 4-1 headed to bottom of the second.
When Alcock walked the first batter in the bottom of the second, he was lifted in favor of Aeden Finateri. Gus Gandy hit into a double play started by LeBron to erase the base runner. Ince then singled, stole second, and moved to third base on a wild pitch. Finateri stranded Ince there by striking out Harris.
The Tide’s Brady Neal singled with one out in the third before Jason Torres blasted a drive deep to centerfield that was run down by the Bulldog’s Michael Gupton. Bama got another base runner when Hodo walked, but both runners were stranded.
Finateri ran into trouble in the bottom of the third. Carr singled to lead the inning of and scored in front of a massive home run hit by Jake Souders. A hit batter and a pop fly double into no mans land scored a run and tied the game at four each. LeBron snared a line drive with a leap and turned it into a double play by tagging second base. A strikeout ended the inning with the game tied.
Alabama broke the tie in the top of the fourth. Bryce Fowler walked to being the inning and moved up on a LeBron single. After Snell flew out deep to left field, Bonomolo drove in another run with a single. LeBron and Bonomolo pulled off a double steal and Neal walked to load the bases. A strikeout of Torres stranded the bases loaded, but the Tide had retaken the lead 5-4.
JT Blackwood took over for Alabama in the bottom of the fourth and allowed a two out double, but no more . The Tide added to their lead in the top of the fifth. Hodo walked and scored on a mammoth home run by Staton to right center field. Staton transferred to Alabama for this season after four years at Samford. The blast was Staton’s fifth of the season. Bulldog reliever John Whitney then settled down and struck out the side.
Blackwood ran into trouble in the fifth. Souders walked to lead off the frame and moved to third on a double by Parker McDonald. Gupton singled to score both runners before Blackwood recovered to strikeout the next two batters. Gatlin Pitts came up a pinch hitter for the Dogs and ripped a 1-2 pitch for a run scoring double, to tie the score and chase Blackwood from the game. Freshman left hander Connor Lehman induced Ince to ground out to shortstop to end the uprising.
Whitney continued his mastery with three straight strikeouts in the top of the sixth. Lehman had a perfect bottom of the sixth with a strikeout and two pop outs. Whitney finally ran out of gas in the top of the seventh. Entering the game Whitney had only pitched four inning all season and carried an ERA of 11.75. Whitney walked Torres and Hodo to open the inning. Trey Sanders replaced him and a pop up and a double play ended the inning while only throwing four pitches.
Lehman walked the lead off man McDonald in the seventh and was pulled in favor of Austin Morris. After a first pitch wild pitch, McDonald moved into scoring position. Morris struck out Gupton and Neal threw McDonald out trying to steal third base in a strike ‘em out, throw ‘em out double play. Morris ended his stint with a strikeout of Prieto.
Alabama took control of the game in the top of the eighth. LeBron walked with one out, stole second base. Snell flew out deep to centerfield on a ball that looked like it might leave the yard. LeBron moved to third on a wild pitch, and crossed the plate on another. Bonomolo, Neal, and Torres all walked before Hodo drilled a single to right to plate two more runs.
With a 10-7 lead the Tide called on Hagan Banks to pitch the bottom of the eighth. Banks made quick work of the Bulldogs, striking out the side on 13 pitches. Alabama added one more insurance run in the top of the ninth. After two quick outs. LeBron hit a laser to deep centerfield that banged off the wall for a double. Snell singled to score LeBron. Bonomolo added a single, but he and Snell were stranded after a strikeout to end the inning.
With a four run lead Tide closer Carson Ozmer took over in the ninth, one of the few times he has entered a game in a non-save situation. Ozmer struck out the lead off man, walked the next, but a ground out and strikeout ended the game with Bama on top 11-7.
Alabama hit 12-39 in the game with 10 walks, one hit batter, 15 strikeouts, and stranded 12 men on base. The Tide had two doubles, two home runs, stole four bases, and committed one error. Alabama threw three wild pitches in the game. LeBron hit 3-4 with a double, one RBI, three runs scored, and three stolen bases. Bonomolo was 3-5 with a walk, two RBI, a stolen base, and one run scored. Hodo finished 2-2 with two walks, a hit by pitch, a home run, two runs scored, and three runs driven in. Staton enjoyed his home coming with his 2-4 game with a double, home run, two runs, and two runs driven in. Morris was the winning pitched and is now 3-0.
Samford finished 10-34 in the game with six walks, one hit batter, 15 strikeouts, four doubles, two home runs, and left seven on base. The Bulldogs threw six wild pitches in the game. Ince, Harris, and Gupton all had two hit games. Gupton drove in three runs and Souders drove in two. Sanders was the loser and fell to 1-1 on the year.
All wins aren’t created equally, but all count the same.This was not a pretty victory, but was a win nevertheless. The first three pitchers for the Tide, Alcock, Finateri, and Blackwood, allowed all the Bulldogs hits and runs, and all but two of their walks. The group of Lehman, Morris, Banks, and Ozmer, combined for 4.1 innings pitched with no hits, two walks, eight strikeouts, and no runs. Catcher Will Plattner saw his first action in the last couple of weeks as the designated hitter as he works back from a hand injury. The trio of Alcock, Finateri, and Blackwood, have combined to start all of the teams midweek games. It was good to have Hodo and Staton have some success toward the bottom of the order, combing to go 4-7 with four runs, two walks, and five RBI, with two home runs and a double.
Next up is a Thursday-Saturday series with the Missouri Tigers. Game one is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT on the SEC Network. Game two is at 6 p.m. Friday, and game three will be at 1 p.m. on Saturday. The final two games will be available on SEC Network Plus. The Tide is 9-9 in SEC play while Mizzu is 0-18 as they head for a historically bad season.
Roll Tide
Thanks to Scott Buttrum for the Monsters of Midweek line
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