The Alabama Crimson Tide left the friendly confines of Sewell-Thomas for the first time this season this past weekend to play in the second annual Jacksonville Classic. The four team field included 12th ranked NC State, traditional power Coastal Carolina, and Ohio State. The Tide defeated each team to capture the Championship Belt. On Friday the Tide took down Coastal Carolina 9-2, shut out NC State 4-0 on Saturday, and roared back from a 10-0 deficit on Sunday to defeat Ohio State 12-10 on Sunday.
Game One- Defeated Coastal Carolina 9-2
Left harder Zane Adams took the hill in game one to face off with Coastal righty Cullen McKay. Alabama lead off man Bryce Fowler singled to open the game then stole second base, but was stranded after three straight strikeouts. After a scoreless first for Adams, the Tide scored the first game in the 2nd without the benefit of a hit. Will Hodo walked, Brennen Norton was hit by a pitch and after a strikeout for out one, Kade Snell and Richie Bonomolo,Jr both walked. Bonomolo’s walk drove in the first run of the game.
Adams allowed a lead off single in the bottom of the 2nd and a walk, a wild pitch, and a ground out allowed the Chanticleers to tie the game at one each. The Tide opened it up in the top of the 5th with five runs, scored on two hits, four walks, a wild pitch, and a hit batter. Norton stroked a two run single in the frame and Snell and Bonomolo,Jr drove in runs on bases loaded walks. Justin LeBron also scampered home on a wild pitch for a 6-1 lead.
Adams reached his pitch count of 80 in the bottom of the 5th after walking a batter with one out. Tyler Fay took over on the mound and after a bloop single retired the side. Fay also tossed a scoreless 6th inning. Packy Bradley-Clooney took over on the mound to start the 7th and could never get comfortable, struggling with his balance and footwork on the mound. After a walk, a balk, and a run scoring single, Bradley-Cooley was replaced by left handed specialist Connor Ball. A quick strikeout and fly out kept the Bama lead at 7-2.
The Tide ended the scoring in the top of the 9th, scoring two more without a hit. A walk, a hit batter, two errors, and a Snell RBI ground out plated the two runs. Braylon Myers threw two perfect innings in the 8th and the 9th as the 5th Tide pitched of the night.
Alabama won the game 9-2 while collecting only three hits in the game, hitting 3-31 with 12 walks, three hit batters, 12 strikeouts and left 10 men on base. Fowler, Norton, and Jason Torres had the only safeties for Bama in the game. Will Hodo score three runs after drawing a walk and being hit by two pitches. LeBron and Torres both scored twice.Norton and Snell drove in two runs apiece. Adams was the winning pitcher and improved to 2-0, tossing 4.1 innings, allowing two hits, one run, while walking three and striking out six. Fay, Ball, and Myers combined for 4.1 scoreless innings, allowing a combined two hits with no walks and four strikeouts.
Coastal hit 5-33 in the game, drew four walks, struck out 10 times, and left nine men on base.
Game Two-Defeated NC State 4-0
Alabama sent big right hander Riley Quick to the mound for game two. Quick is just over a year removed from Tommy John surgery, and the staff is handling him carefully by limiting him to a low pitch count. Quick worked a quick 1st inning and 2nd inning, allowing only one hit and one walk. The Tide scored the only run they needed into the bottom of the second. Will Hodo and Kade Snell both singled, and Hodo scored on a ringing double by catcher Will Plattner.
Quick pitched the 3rd and 4th innings, allowing no hits with a hit batter and three more strikeouts, ending his day after 43 pitches. In four full innings the 6’6’ hard thrower allowed one hit, walked one, hit one, and struck out four. A Brennen Norton solo home run in the bottom of the 4th expanded the lead to 2-0.
Sophomore left hander Matthew Heiberger replaced Quick in the 5th and threw two scoreless innings of his own, allowing only an infield single with no walks and a strikeout. Bama increased the lead to 3-0 in the 6th after Kade Snell singled and eventually scored on a Richie Bonomolo, Jr single.Hagan Banks, coming off elbow surgery of his own, took over in the 7th and notched two strikeouts and a weak pop out.
The Tide finished off the scoring in the bottom of the 7th on singles by Justin LeBron. Coleman Mizell, a balk, and a wild pitch. In the 8th Banks allowed a single and walk, and with two outs was replaced by closer Carson Ozmer, who induced a ground ball to end the threat. Ozmer walked two in the top of the 9th, but got a strikeout and two fly outs to end the game with Bama on the good end of a 4-0 score.
The Tide hit 9-32 in the game with five walks, eight strikeouts, a double, a home run, a stolen base, and nine men left on base. Snell was the only player with multiple hits with his 2-4 night. Plattner, Norton, and Bonomolo Jr all drove in a run. Quick improved 2-0 with the win and Ozmer secured his second save. The relief staff combined for 5 innings, allowing two hits, with three walks, and four strikeouts. NC State hit 3-28 with four walks, eight strikeouts, one hit batter, and left seven on base.
Game Three-Defeated Ohio State 12-10
In the most thrilling game of the tournament, the Tide rallied from a 10-0 deficit to defeat the Ohio State Buckeyes 12-10 on a walk-off three run home run by Will Hodo in the bottom of the 9th.
Right hander Bobby Alcock started the game on the mound for the Tide, and was sharp early. After retiring the first eight batters of the game, Alcock ran into trouble with two out in the third inning. A single to right by Reggie Bussey and a questionable walk to Trey Lipsey put two runners on for Lee Ellis. Alcock threw the only bad pitch of his outing and Ellis blasted hit deep over the left field fence for a 3-0 Buckeye lead.
Disaster ensued in the top of the 4th inning. Austin Morris replaced Alcock on the mound, but only recorded one out while allowing a single and two walks. Beau Bryans was next out of the bullpen and struck out the first batter he faced, before allowing a two run single, walking a batter, and one run single, Aidan Moza was next up and was greeted by a long three run home run off the bat of Tyler Pettorini. Moza struck out the next man to end the frame, and the Buckeyes were done scoring in the game.
The Tide entered the bottom of the 4th having left two runners on base in each of the first three innings. In the bottom of the 2nd OSU centerfield Bussey layed out and robbed Richie Bonomolo,Jr of a two run double on an incredible play. In the 4th Brady Neal and Bonomolo both drew one out walks. After Bryce Fowler popped out, All American Justin LeBron strode to the plate and blasted the first pitch he saw 438 feet into a construction site behind the right centerfield wall. After cutting the lead to 10-3 the Tide got robbed of cutting into the lead even more. Coleman Mizell walked, Justin Torres singled, and Will Hodo was hit by pitch to load the bases. On a one strike pitch Brennen Norton smoked a ball to left field for what looked like a grand slam home run. Left fielder Matthew Graveline had other ideas, leaping and contorting his body to reach over the wall to bring the ball back for out three.
Moza settled in and tossed two perfect innings in the 5th and 6th with five more strikeouts with some nasty off speed and breaking pitches. Tate Robertson took over in the top of the seventh. The Tide drew closer in the bottom of the seventh. Norton led off with a double, and after two outs scored on an infield single by Bonomolo,Jr. Bryce Fowler followed with a single to bring LeBron to the plate. After falling behind 0-2 in the count the shortstop fouled off four straight pitches before launching a drive to the same spot where he hit his first home run. This blast also measured over 400 feet and was measured at over 107 miles an hour off the bat. The inning ended with the Tide within three at 10-7.
Robertson cruised through the top of the the 8th, and the Tide drew closer in the bottom half. A walk to Hodo and a single by Norton brought the captain, Kade Snell to the plate. Snell laced a double down the right field line to cut the margin to 10-9. Brady Neal followed with a walk, but two straight strikeouts stranded the tying run at second base. Robertson had another perfect inning in the 9th, setting up the fireworks in the bottom half. LeBron grounded out to lead off the inning before Mizell and Torres both walked on full count pitches, bring Hodo to the plate. The senior first baseman fouled off a two strike pitch before drilling the next pitch into the construction area behind the right center field wall for the game winning, three run home run, scoring Mizell and pinch runner Ahmad Duff ahead of him. The comeback was the largest in Crimson Tide baseball history.
Bama hit 12-37 in the game with 11 walks, two hit batters, nine strikeouts, three doubles, three home runs, and 13 men left on base. LeBron was 2-6 with six RBI on his two home runs. Hodo was 2-4 with two runs, three RBI, a hit by pitch, a double and his walk-off home run. Snell hit 3-5 with a double and two RBI, Norton finished 2-4 with a walk, a double, and two runs scored. Robertson was the inning pitcher, tossing three scoreless innings while allowing only one hit with no walks and four strikeouts. The win was the first of the Tuscaloosa natives career. Moza was sharp in 2.1 innings, striking out six.
OSU hit 7-34 in the game with five walks, 14 strikeouts, and left two men on base.
Who Did What?
* Kade Snell 5-11, 2 walks, 4 RBI, double, 1 ruN
- Brennen Norton 4-12, home run, 3 RBI, double, HBP, walk, 3 runs
- Justin LeBron 3-13, 2 home runs, 6 RBI, 5 run, 2 walks, Tournament MVP
- Will Hodo 3-9, home run, double, 3 HBP, 2 walks, 6 runs,
- Zane Adams W (2-0) 4.1 IP, 2 hits, 6 strikeouts 1 ER
- ‘Riley Quick W (2-0) 4 IP, 1 hit, 4 strikeouts, 0 runs
- ‘Tate Robertson W 1-0, 3 IP, 1 hit, 0 walks, 4 strikeouts, 0 runs
Overall Bama hit 24-100 for a .240 average with 28 walks, five hit batters. 29 strikeouts, 32 men left on base, four home runs, four doubles, and 25 runs scored. Tide pitchers held the opponents to 15-95 for a .157 average.
LeBron was the MVP of the Classic and was joined on the All Tournament Team by Hodo, Snell, and Norton.
A great weekend for the Tide, improving to 8-0 on the season. The comeback on Sunday was one of the most exciting baseball games I have ever attended. The team showed resilience in not hanging their heads when down 10-0. Adams and Quick are lining up to be as good a top of the rotation duo of anyone in the country. The lineup lost third baseman Garrett Staton to surgery on his broken finger after Wednesday’s game. When he is able to return the team will have another big bat available. Beating three name brand teams will look good on the resume going forward, but the big test will be when SEC play begins. Up next is a Tuesday night home game vs Jacksonville State at 4 p.m. CT at The Joe. This is exciting team to watch, so try to get out to the ball park this season.
RollTide
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