The 15th ranked Alabama Crimson Tide defeated the Birmingham Blazers 5-3 on Tuesday night at Sewell-Thomas Stadium to complete the two game season sweep of the team from the Southside. The Tide also beat the Blazers at Regions Field in Birmingham by a score of 6-3 on March 11th. Alabama is now 11-0 in mid week games with two left on the schedule, at Samford on April 22nd, and at Troy on May 6th.
Alabama called on Bobby Alcock for the start on the mound. Alcock had started every Sunday game for the Tide until this past weekend. Birmingham countered with right hander Ryan Olson as an opener. Alcock worked a scoreless first inning allowing only a one out walk. The Tide went down in oder in the bottom half of the frame.
Alcock retired the first two batters in the second before walking Blazer shortstop Gavin Lewis Jr. With an 0-1 count to Landon Beaver, Alcock cleanly picked Lewis off first base with a slick move and throw to Will Hodo. Bama took the lead in the bottom half of the inning. Jason Torres walked to open the inning and advanced to second on a balk by new pitcher CJ Ellis. With two outs Hodo bounced a single up the middle to bring Torres home for the first run of the game.
In the top of the third the Blazers tied the score up. A one out single and a wild pitch advanced Alex Cheeseman to second and a single by Logan Braunschweig tied the game at 1-1. Alabama went down in oder in the bottom half.
Alcock worked into the fourth, but after two quick outs allowed back to back singles to Nick Hollifield and Tyler Waugh. Coulson Buchanan came out of the bullpen to replace Alcock and got the third out on a fly ball to centerfield. The Tide again went down in order in the bottom half.
Buchanan remained on the hill for the Tide in the fifth and was victimized with a run after back to back walks, a wild pitch, and a sacrifice fly by Wesley Helms that tied the game up at 2-2. Thomas Ballard was the fourth Blazer pitcher of the game and took over in the bottom of the fifth. With one out Brady Neal singled and scored on a 391 foot home run by second baseman Brennen Norton. Norton had been in a 3-41 slump prior to his seventh home run of the year.
Beau Bryans was called on to pitch the top of the sixth, and despite two singles and a walk to load the bases, escaped with no runs allowed. Bama went down in order for the fourth time in the bottom of the sixth. Bryans was left in for the seventh to set up the lefty on lefty matchup with Braunschweig. After Bryans hit the Blazer centerfielder with a pitch he was replaced by Aeden Finateri. Braunscheweig advanced on a ground out by Helms and scored on a single by Todd Clay, tying the game at three runs apiece.
The Tide retook the lead in the bottom of the seventh off of the fifth Birmingham pitcher, Isaac Warrick. With one out Garrett Staton blasted his fourth home run of the year into the visitors bullpen. With two outs Norton blooped a single into right field and scored in front of a ringing double by Richie Bonomolo,Jr.
JT Blackwood took over for the Tide in the top of the eighth, holding a 5-3 lead. Blackwood only needed nine pitches to retire the Blazers on two fly outs and a strikeout. Torres reached for Bama in the bottom half after being hit by a pitch, but a double play ended the inning.
Alabama coach Rob Vaughn called on his closer, Carson Ozmer, to shut the door in the top of the ninth. Ozmer struck out Cheeseman to open the inning, the allowed a single to Braunscheweig. Helms flew out to Bryce Fowler in right field for out two but then walked Clay to bring the go ahead run to the plate. The hitter was former Alabama player Camden Hayslip who transferred to Birmingham this season. Ozmer caught the big outfielder looking a strike three to end the game with the Tide on top 5-3.
The Tide hit 7-30 in the game with one walk, seven strikeouts, one double, two home runs, and left three men on base. Norton broke out of his funk with his 2-3 day with two RBI, two runs, and his seventh home run. Staton was 2-3 with a home run, run, and RBI. Hodo and Bonomolo drove in one each to complete the scoring. Finateri improved to 2-0 with the win and Ozmer earned his 12th save of the year. Ozmer is now two saves from tying the Tide single season record of 14 set by Ben Short in 1991.
The Blazers hit 8-32 with six walks, nine strikeouts, one hit batter, two stolen bases, a sacrifice fly, one error, and left 10 men on base. Braunscheweig and Hollifield led the offense with two hits each.
Alabama remains in an offensive funk over the last few games. The top five hitters in the order were a combined 1-18 with one run, one walk, one hit batter, and one run driven in. The bottom four in the lineup finished 6-12 with four runs, two home runs, and four runs driven in. Tide hitters have drawn a total of only eight walks over the last four games. In the last 34 innings Bama has gone down in order 12 times, and have not been working counts like the were early in the season.
Next up is a road trip to Baton Rouge to take on LSU in a Thursday-Saturday series. Game one is on Thursday night at 7 p.m. CT on ESPNU. Game two is at 6 p.m. Friday and will be available on SEC Network Plus while Saturday’s finale is at 5 p.m. and will be shown on th SEC Network.
Roll Tide
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