The 16th ranked Crimson Tide baseball team lost on Sunday to Presbyterian College to break their season opening 16 game winning streak. On the cusp of starting the SEC season, the Tide traveled to the Magic City to play the Birmingham Blazers in the Barons AA stadium, Regions Field. Bama used eight pitchers in holding off the upset minded home squad, claiming a 6-3 victory. Alabama improved to 17-1 on the season while the Blazers fell to 13-4.
JT Blackwood drew the starting assignment for the Tide vs Braxton Shelton for the Blazers. Bryce Fowler opened the game for Alabama with an infield single, and stole second and third base, but was stranded when Shelton struck out the side in the first inning. Blackwood allowed only an infield single to go with a ground out, a pop out, and a fly out in the bottom half. The Tide missed a chance to take the lead in the top of the second. Brennen Norton lined a one out single before Kade Snell launched a long drive to center field that the Blazers Logan Braunschewig ran down and made the play on, the first of many robberies he was to commit on the night. Blackwood worked a quick bottom of the second with two strikeouts and on fly out.
Bama got on the board in the top of the third when Folwer blasted his third home run of the season, a solo shot to right. In the bottom of the third Blackwood needed only six pitchers to get a strikeout, a fly out, and a ground out. The Tide missed a chance to add to the lead in the top of the fourth. Will Hodo just missed a home run when he hit an opposite field rocket off the top of the left field wall for a one out triple. Norton followed with a walk, but a double play rapped into by Snell ended the threat with no damage.
Blackwood quickly retired the first two batters of the fourth inning before walking Todd Clay. The Tide called on left hander Tate Robertson to replace Blackwood and face former Alabama outfielder Camden Hayslip. Robertson induced a ground out to end the inning.
The Tide finally started getting to Shelton in the top of the fifth. Will Plattner led off with a single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Richie Bonomolo, Jr. Fowler made the move payoff by singling Plattner across the plate. Justin LeBron followed with a single and Coleman Mizell drilled a single up the middle to score Fowler. Jason Torres popped up for the second out before Hodo was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Norton couldn’t capitalize and popped out to end the inning.
The Alabama pitching staff ran into trouble in the bottom half of the fifth. Robertson walked Tyler Waugh to lead off the inning, and then threw a wild pitch to advanced him to second. Blazer DH Jaden Anderson then double to score the home teams first run. Robertson retired Alex Cheeseman on a line drive that Norton somehow snared at his second base position. The Tide then replaced Robertson with Aidan Moza. Moza walked the first man he faced, then threw a pick off attempt away. Two wild pitches brought a run home and cut the lead to 3-2. Coulson Buchanan replaced Moza and got a great, diving, sliding, catch by Snell in left field to end the uprising.
The Tide missed another scoring opportunity in the top of the sixth. Snell led off the inning and was robbed of a hit on a diving catch by Waugh in left field. Plattner and Bonomolo both singled, but Fowler hit into a double play to keep from adding to the lead.
In the bottom of the sixth, Buchanan walked lead off man Nick Hollifield. A Todd Clay ground ball forced Hollifield out at second, but could not be doubled up. Left hander Connor Ball was called on to faced Hayslip, and struck the slugger out swinging. Clay swiped second base and raced home on a single by Waugh. Pitching coach Jason Jackson then summoned Aeden Finateri to the mound. Finateri immediately picked Waugh after first base before throwing a pitch.
With the scored now 3-3, the Tide continued to strand runners. In the top of the seventh LeBron smashed what looked like his 12th home run of the season, however Braunscheweig had other ideas and climbed the wall to haul in the blast. Mizell walked and moved to third on a double by Torres. A strikeout and ground stranded the two runners in scoring position. Finateri worked around are a single in the bottom of the seventh to keep the scored tied.
After Alabama stranded two more runners in the top of the eighth, the Blazers threatened to take the lead in the bottom half. Finateri retired the first two batters on ground balls before Clay reached on a slow dribbler between the mound and third base. Left hander Beau Bryans was called in to face Hayslip, and walked him on four pitches. Bryans then retired Waugh on a ground ball to LeBron to end the inning.
The Tide made the top of the ninth count. Mizell led off and he too was robbed by Braunschweig as he crashed in to the ball after leaping, making another circus catch. Torres was finally able to get a ball over the fleet outfielders head when he deposited a ball deep over the 400 foot sign in centerfield. Braunschweig made a gallant effort but he was unable to reach this one.
Hodo ground to first base for the second out. Norton worked a full count walk to bring Snell to the plate. The Captain, yanked a 1-0 pitch over the right field fence on a line, giving the Tide much needed insurance.
Plattner followed with his third hit of the night and Bonomolo walked. Fowler was retired and Bama took the 6-3 lead, but left two runners on base.
With the 6-3 lead Bama called on closer Carson Ozmer to shut the door and secure the victory. The Blazers first two hitters flew out before Ty Mauldin came in a pinch hitter as the home teams final chance. Ozmer struck him out, but Mauldin was able to reach when the ball bounced away and the catcher, Plattner, couldn’t locate the ball fast enough to make the throw to first. Unshaken, Ozmer got a first pitch fly out to centerfield off the bat of Gavin Lewis.
Alabama hit 15-39 in the game with five walks, a hit batter, three home runs, a triple, a sac bunt, two stolen bases, and 13 men left on base. The Tide also hit into two double plays. Fowler hit 3-5 with a home run, two RBI, a walk, two runs, and two stolen bases. Plattner had his first three hit game with his 3-5 night with a run scored. Snell was 2-5 with a home run and a double, two RBI and one run scored. Torres had what proved to be the game winning hit and finished 2-5 with a double, home run, run, and run driven in. Bryans earned the victory and his 1-0 on the season. Ozmer notched his fifth save of the year.
Birmingham finished 5-32 at the plate, with five walks, seven strikeouts, and left seven men on base. Anderson was 2-4 with a double, run scored, and run driven in. Ryan Olson was the loser, giving up three runs in 0.2 innings pitched, and fell to 2-1 on the year.
This wasn’t the easy tuneup game that the Tide had hoped for heading into the conference schedule, but Birmingham is a much improved team and gave Bama all they wanted. Blackwood provided a nice start with his 3.2 innings of scoreless ball. The work of Finateri was key, holding the Blazers at bay in his two innings on the mound. Ozmer has been shutdown all year. Offensively the left on base problem continued from Sunday. The lack of being able to drive in runs with less than two outs was maddening in the game. The team kept hacking and were finally able to have the big inning in the ninth that they squandered so many times during the game.
A tough test heading into SEC Opening weekend, and the Tide passed. The 17-1 record and national attention for the team and especially LeBron has been warranted. However they are about to jump into the fire. Alabama will travel to College Station to take on preseason number one, Texas A&M. The Aggies have struggled to begin the season and sit at 19th in the polls and 9-6 in the record book. Surprisingly offense has been the teams weak spot. A&M is powder keg just waiting to explode, lets just they wait at least another week to do so.
Roll Tide
Bama Baseball Fever, Catch it
