Fresh off a series win over #9 Oklahoma and a mid week victory over instate foe Samford, the Alabama Crimson Tide was riding high. Elevated to #8 in all the major college baseball polls, the Tide traveled on the weekend to take on instate rival and 16th ranked Auburn. The series was scheduled for Friday through Sunday but was condensed to a single game Friday and double header Saturday because of the threat of inclement weather on Sunday. The Tigers dominated the Friday night game with a seven inning run rule victory 10-0. Alabama bounced back on Saturday, winning the first game of the day in dramatic fashion 6-5, but could not muster enough runs in the rubber game of the series, and lost 7-5. Alabama fell to 27-6 overall and 7-5 in the SEC while Auburn improved to 22-10 and 6-6 in conference play.
Game One- Lost 10-0
Not much to be said about this one. The outcome was pretty much decided after the first inning. Alabama southpaw Zane Adams was facing off with Auburn right hander Samuel Dutton. It turned out to be a mismatch. The Tide’s Justin LeBron reached on a one out walk in the first but was quickly erased on a double play ball to shortstop.
The Tigers wasted little time grabbing control of the game in the bottom half of the inning. Eric Snow led off with a single and advanced on a walk to Chris Rembert. Ike Irish hit into a force play, but Copper McMurray followed with an RBI single. After a pop up for the second out, Lucas Steele ripped a two run double and scored on a single by Bristol Carter. The ninth batter to the plate finally grounded out to end the inning after five hits, a walk, 32 pitches, and four runs scored.
Dutton made quick work of the Tide in the second- actually all game long- and AU added to the lead in the second. Adams faced three batters in the inning and gave up back to back doubles and a single to plate two more runs and chase him from the game. Coulson Buchanan replaced Adams, and despite loading the bases after two walks, got a slick double play started by LeBron to end the inning with the score 6-0 in Auburns favor.
After another perfect inning by Dutton the Tide finally go another base runner in the fourth when Richie Bonomolo, Jr walked. Buchanan stopped the bleeding with scoreless innings in the third and fourth frames. With two outs in the top of the fifth Alabama finally broke up Dutton’s no hitter on a single by Bryce Fowler. Buchanan finally started running out of gas in the bottom of the fifth, allowing a ground rule double and a single to put runners on second and third with no outs. Tyler Fay was brought in and after allowing a walk and back to back singles, three more runs had crossed the plate for 9-0 lead. Dutton mowed down the Tide in the sixth in up and down order with two strikeouts.
In the bottom of the sixth, with the run rule in play after seven innings, Auburn played for one run. Packy Bradley-Cooney was on the mound when Carter walked with one out and stole second and third bases before scoring on a double off the bat of Chase Fralick. Ariston Veasey was then brought in to replace PBC and make his SEC debut. Veasey flashed a 93 mile an hour fast ball and escaped the inning with no other damage while notching a strikeout and inducing a fly out.
In the top of the seventh the Tide needed to score to keep the game going, but despite their only extra base hit (out of two total), a double by Jason Torres, Bama could not push a run across. The game ended with Auburn on the big end of a 10-0 score.
The Tide hit 2-22 in the game with two walks, six strikeouts, one double, and three men left on base. Torres and Fowler had the only hits for the team, and two of the very few hard hit balls. Torres was robbed of extras bases in the second on a leaping catch at the wall by Auburn left fielder Bub Terrell. LeBron had on hard hit ball that the shortstop fielded, but everything else was weak contact or strikeouts. Torres’s double was initially called foul by third base umpire Hank Himmanen, but was reviewed and over turned. The ball was fair by at least two feet and there is no logical reason for Himmanen to have missed the call, however in game two he was overturned again on a clear out play at second base that he called safe again being overturned on a Crimson Tide challenge. Adams fell to 4-1 on the season.
Auburns bats were scorching in the game, ripping 15 hits in 31 at bats. The Tigers drew five walks, had one hit batter, hit seven doubles, struck out only three times and left 10 men on base. According to trackman the lowest exit velocity on any of the eight hits Adams allowed was 108 miles per hour. Everything Auburn hit all night was hard, even their outs. Dutton improved to 4-2 with his two hit complete game gem, allowing only two walks and striking out six while using 93 pitches. The LSU transfer, and cousin to Tide hurler Riley Quick, tossed the best game of his career in the outing. Auburn announced a hard sellout and the largest crowd in school history, 6,709.
Game Two- Won 6-5
Alabama had Riley Quick back from his one week absence in the rotation because of complications from blisters on his pitching hand. The Tigers countered with Florida transfer left hander Cade Fisher. The game was a back and forth affair that the Tide was able to capture in dramatic fashion.
Bama could only muster a two out walk to Kade Snell in the top of the first off of Fisher. Quick hit the first man he faced, Eric Snow, and after two ground outs moved Snow to third, Alabama All-American shortstop Justin LeBron made one of his patented high light plays. Bub Terrell smoked a ball that Alabama third baseman Jason Torres dove for, but could only deflect the ball. LeBron reached up bare handed an snared the carom and in one motion fired to first to beat the speedy Terrell to the bag.
The Tigers took the lead in the bottom of the second after a walk, a sac bunt, a ground out that advanced the runner, and a weak two out single by Deric Fabian. Bama finally scored their first run of the weekend in the top of the third. Brady Neal smashed a one out double to right field. Richie Bonomolo, Jr was hit by a pitch and LeBron reached on a bloop single to load the bases. The team Captain, Kade Snell, singled to plate Neal, but a strikeout and fly out left the bags loaded and a tie game at 1-1.
The game did not remain tied for long. Once again Auburn reached base on a lead off walk to Chris Rembert. A single by Ike Irish moved Rembert to third, where he scored on a wild pitch for a 2-1 lead. The Tide was able to tie the game in the top of the fourth. Garrett Staton walked to lead off the inning and moved to second on a wild pitch. A Bryce Fowler singled brought Staton home to tie the game at two. Quick battled through the fourth in a game that he never looked entirely comfortable. The big right hander allowed three hits, four walks, a hit batter, with one strikeout over 81 pitches.
JT Blackwood took over on the mound for the Tide in the fifth inning, and worked around a one out walk to hold the Tigers off the board. Cam Tilly had replaced Fisher for AU in the fourth inning. Auburn took the lead again in the bottom of the sixth. Three straight one out singles, one blopped, one chopped, and one hit hard, scored the go ahead run. Further damage was avoided on a fly out to Fowler in right field which turned into a double play at second base when Chase Fralick could not beat the throw back to the bag.
The Tide finally got to Tilly in the top of the seventh. Richie Bonomolo, Jr blasted a ball off the top of the Green Monster in left field and cruised into third base with a leadoff triple. LeBron followed with a drive that hit the Monster square and bounced straight to Terrell in left field to hold the hit to a single that scored Bonomolo. With two outs Jason Torres singled to advance LeBron, where he later scored on a two out single by Will Hodo.
Blackwood was sent out back in the bottom of the seventh armed with a 4-3 lead. The lead didn’t last long as Rembert slugged a first pitch home run over the Green Monster to tie the game again. Matthew Heiberger replaced Blackwood and after retiring the first two batters he faced allowed a single and walk. A clutch strikeout of Bristol Carter held the score to a 4-4 tie.
Bama went down in order in the top of the eighth. Heiberger was back for the Tide in the bottom half and hit Fralick to lead off the inning. A successful sacrifice bunt by Fabian put pinch runner Cole Edwards in scoring position. Austin Morris was brought in to replace Heiberger. Snow grounded out to second base for out two and Edwards advanced to third. On a 0-2 count Morris unleashed a wild pitch that brought Edwards home with the go ahead run at 5-4.
Down to their last chance, the Tide answered. Bonomolo led off with a double to bring arguably the best player in the country to the plate in LeBron. On a 1-0 offering from Carson Myers, LeBron launched a blast high and deep over everything in left field for his 14th home run of the season and RBI’s 58 and 59. The next three batters went out in order, setting the stage for Bama closer Carson Ozmer in the bottom of the ninth. It took Ozmer only 15 pitches and three ground ball outs to secure the win for the Tide and earn his ninth save of the year.
Alabama hit 10-37 in the game, drew two walks, had two hit batters, struck out eight times, left eight men on base, hit two doubles, one triple, and one home run. LeBron finished 3-5 with three RBI, two runs scored, and his dramatic home run. Bonomolo was 2-4 with two runs scored with a double and a triple. Five other players had one hit each and Hodo, Snell and Fowler all drove in a run with their hits. Morris improved to 2-0 with the win and Ozmer earned his ninth save.
Auburn hit 8-31 in the game with six walks, two hit batters, four strikeouts, one home run, two sac bunts, and left nine men on base. Fabian was 3-3 with two RBI and a sac bunt to lead the offense. Myers was the loser and fell to 0-1 on the year.
Game Three- Lost 7-5
Alabama game three starter remained Bobby Alcock and he faced off with Auburn freshman Andreas Alvarez. Alvarez mowed the Tide down in the first in order, but Alcock had no such luck. After a fly ball recored the first out, the next five Tiger hitters produced the following, single, single, hit by pitch, single, single, to knock Alcock out of the game after only one-third of an inning and 19 pitches. Braylon Myers was called in and did his best to limit the damage. A bloop single and a sacrifice fly plated two runs before a strikeout to the ninth batter of the inning ended the nightmare frame. Alcock was charged with all four runs.
The Tide got right back in the game in the top of the second with a big two out rally. Will Plattner drew a two out walk and Bryce Fowler was hit by a pitch to bring Garrett Staton to the plate. Staton took a 2-2 pitch deep into the afternoon for his second home run of the season, cutting the lead to 4-3. The Tigers touched Myers for two runs in the bottom of the second on a hit batter and two hits to push their lead to 6-3 after two innings.
Myers settled in and added three scoreless innings to keep the Tide within striking distance. In all the senior right hander pitched 4.2 innings, allowing four hits, two runs, with no walks and six strikeouts, in his longest stint in an Alabama uniform. Griffin Graves replaced Alvarez for the Tigers in the third and tossed 2.1 scoreless innings while only allowing two hits.
Aeden Finateri followed Myers on the mound in the sixth inning. After two quick outs Eric Guevara, who was an injury replacement for Eric Snow, demolished a home run over the centerfield fence to give AU a 7-3 lead. Chris Rembert followed with a single and stole seance but was picked off by Finateri. Alabama drew closer in the top of the seventh. Neal was hit by a pitch and Richie Bonomolo, Jr doubled to put runners at second and third with no outs. LeBron smoked a ball that Guevara at third base made a great play on and then threw Neal out at the plate. Kade Snell hit a fly ball deep to centerfield that was hauled in, but Bonomolo and LeBron advanced. Jason Torres bounced a single up the middle to score both runners and cutting the lead to 7-5. A Will Hodo fly out to deep left field ended the inning.
Finateri tossed a scoreless seventh inning which ended with Neal throwing out Bub Terrell trying to steal. The Tide went out weakly in the top of the eighth. Hagan Banks threw the eighth for Bama and faced only three batters. Lucas Steele singled to right field and when he tried to stretch for a double, he was cut down on a perfect throw from Fowler to LeBron. A strikeout and pop out ended the inning. Needing two runs to stay alive, The Tide went down on three straight pop outs to end the game in the top of the ninth.
Alabama hit 6-33 in the game with five walks, one hit batter, five strikeouts, and six men left on base. Bonomolo was 2-5 with a run scored, Torres was 1-2 with two walks and two driven in, Staton was 1-4 with three RBI with his home run. Alcock fell to 3-2 with the loss. Tide pitchers did not walk a batter in the game. For the series the Tide hit 18-92 for a .195 average, drew eight walks, had four hit batters, struck out 19 times, left 17 men on base, hit three doubles, one triple, and two home runs.
Auburn hit 12-32 with zero walks, two hit batters, eight strikeouts, and left four men on base. Terrell hit 3-4 with three RBI and three runs scored and looks like one of the best freshmen in the country. Irish, Steele, and Rembert had two knocks each. Graves was the winning pitcher and is 2-1 on the year while Ryan Hetzler earned his third save of the season. The Tigers hit 30-94 for a .319 average with 11 walks, five hit batters 15 strikeouts, and 23 men left on base.
Who Did What?
*Richie Bonomolo, Jr 4-11, two doubles, triple, three runs, walk, hit by pitch
*Jason Torres 3-10, two walks, two RBI, double
*Justin LeBron 3-11, four runs, three RBI, walk, game winning home run (14)
*Bryce Fowler 3-9, run, RBI, outfield assist (4)
*Carson Ozmer save (9), 1 IP, 0 hits, 0 walks, 0 runs
Not the best weekend for the Tide on The Plains where they have had trouble their last several visits. Riding high going into the weekend some air was let out of the sails in the series loss. It is very hard to win a series when your three starting pitchers pitch only 5.1 innings combined, allowing 15 hits, five walks, with one strikeout and 12 earned runs. Quick tossed four of the innings and allowed only two of the runs. The Tide relief core did what they could, pitching a total of 28.2 innings while allowing 20 hits, seven walks, and 10 runs, but struck out only six batters in total. Buchanan, Myers, and Finateri particularly went longer than usually and did a good job of giving the Tide a chance to get back into a position to have a chance in the games. The starting pitching will need to get back on track soon, and Adams and Quick should lead that charge. The staff will have a decision to make concerning the game three starter. Alcock has been terrific at times- see Texas A&M, and just okay at other times.
The offense was off as well. An Auburn staff that had not shown to be that good controlled the Tide over the weekend. Bama hitters only taking eight walks over three games is highly unusual. A ton of non competitive at bats with weak contact lead to the team batting average of under .200 in the series.
That being said, the team still sits 27-6 and 7-5 in league play and is in play to be a National Seed come NCAA time. There are six SEC series left as well as some tough midweek games to help make or break the teams fate. This is a very good team and they should bounce back this coming week. First up is a Tuesday night game with Southern Miss at 6 p.m. followed by hosting a reeling Mississippi State team on the weekend. The games are set for 6 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday, and 1 p.m. Sunday. All four games will be available on SEC Network Plus.
Roll Tide
Bama Baseball Fever, Catch it
