Rob Vaughn’s Alabama Crimson Tide baseball team improved to 16-1, winning their series with Presbyterian College this weekend in Sewell-Thomas Stadium two games to one. The Tide set a school recored for victories to begin a season at 16, and tied the all time winning streak set by the 1999 team. The 1997, 2020, and 2023, teams all won 14 in a row to begin their seasons and the 1997 team took 15 straight. The 1999 team won 16 in a row from May 7th to June 11th, 1999. This weekend the Tide won 10-0 on Friday night, 15-1 on Saturday, and lost 11-8 on Sunday.
Game One- won 10-0 in 7 innings
Sophomore left hander Zane Adams had his best start in an Alabama uniform in Friday nights opener. Adams threw 95 pitches over six innings, allowing five hits, with no walks, and a career high 10 strikeouts. Justin LeBron and Will Hodo led the offense. Presbyterian started Kyle Mueller on the mound.
Adams worked a quick 10 pitch first inning, and seemed to be on from the start. The Tide went down in order in the bottom half, and after Adams had another perfect inning in the top of the 2nd, the Bama offense took over. The Alabama offense tends to explode in the second inning, and they did so again in this game. Jason Torres led off with a single and advanced to third on a double by Will Hodo. Brennen Norton lifted a bloop double that plated the first run. Kade Snell was hit by pitch to load the bases before Brady Neal hit wicked shot that Blue Hose first baseman Eli Lazio couldn’t handle, scoring two runs as the ball shot into right field. Richie Bonomolo, Jr. pushed another run across with a sacrifice fly to center field. After the second out, Justin LeBron laced a double in the left field corner to score the fifth run of the frame.
Staked to a five run lead, Adams struck out the side in the 3rd before finally allowing Presbyterian’s first hit of the game, a lead off double in the 4th. Two more strikeouts and ground out to the mound ended the inning with no further damage. The Tide added two runs in the bottom of the 4th on only one hit. Neal and Bonomolo both walked and lead off hitter Bryce Fowler was hit by a pitch to load the bases. LeBron came through again with an RBI single. Coleman Mizell drove in the second run with a fielders choice ground out.
Adams came as close to trouble as he faced all day when he allowed back to back singles to lead off the 5th inning. Two more strikeouts and a line out to Bonomolo in centerfield ended the Hose hopes of scoring. Hodo, Snell, and Neal all singled in the 5th inning, with Hodo scoring on Neal’s safety, and the Tide led 8-0.
Adams worked through the 6th inning, allowing two singles with one out but his 10th strikeout of the game and a ground ball ended his day with out allowing a run. The 10 strikeouts were a career high for the highly regarded southpaw. Zach Kitrrell replaced Adams in the top of the 7th and faced three batters with a ground out, a walk, and a strikeout. Connor Ball came in for Kitrell and faced one batter, retiring him on three pitches.
With the 10 run mercy rule in affect, the Tide walked the game off in the bottom of the 7th inning. Snell reached on an error and was sacrificed to second on a bunt by Neal. After a strikeout for out two, Fowler walked, LeBron struck again with an RBI single, and Mizell walked to bring Torres to the plate. The third baseman singled through the right side to scored Fowler with the 10th run for the 10-0 victory.
The Tide hit 11-31 in the game with five walks, two hit batters, five strikeouts, three doubles, a sacrifice bunt, a sacrifice fly, and left 10 men on base. LeBron led the way with his 3-5 day with a double and three runs driven in. Hodo was 3-4 with a double and two runs scored. Neal drove in two, scored two runs, and was 1-2 with a walk and sacrifice bunt. Torres finished 2-4 with a run and the game ending RBI. Adams improved to 3-0 with his six inning gem, allowing five hits with no walks and the aforementioned 10 strikeouts.
Presbyterian hit 5-26 in the game with one walk and 11 strikeouts while leaving six men on base. Mueller took the loss and fell to 0-2 on the year.
Game Two- Won 15-1
Riley Quick took the mound for the Tide in game two in a matchup with Tristan McGregor of the Blue Hose. Quick retired the side in the top of the 1st inning on three ground balls. McGregor walked Bryce Fowler to lead off the bottom of the 1st, but two strikeouts and a batters interference call on Justin LeBron while Fowler was stealing second ended the inning.
Quick hit a batter with one out in the second but suffered no further damage. The second inning Tide struck again in the bottom half of the inning. Jason Torres led off with a single and moved to third on a double by Will Hood. Brennen Norton walked and Kade Snell brought home the first run with a sacrifice fly. Will Plattner drove in a run while reaching on a fielders choice. Richie Bonomolo, Jr singled and Fowler was hit by a pitch to load the bases. LeBron singled in two, Coleman Mizell followed with a single of his own, and Torres was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Hodo’s second hit of the inning was a long grand slam home run. A fly out ended the frame with Bama plating nine runs on six hits, two hit batters, and a walk.
In the top of the third Aaron Hobson drew a one out walk for PC, but a double play turned by LeBron and Norton wiped out the base runner. Bama added four more in the bottom half of the third inning. Snell singled to begin the uprising, followed by a walk to Plattner. With one out Fowler singled to score Snell, bringing LeBron to the plate. The All American shortstop stroked his 10th home run of the season and reached 42 RBI with the three run shot.
Quick worked around a lead off walk and single in the 4th with another double play and a fly out. The Tide was held scoreless in the bottom half, bringing Quick back out for the fifth inning. Amman Dewberry took the big right hander deep to lead off the inning and to score the Blue Hose first run of the weekend. Quick reached his pitch limit after retiring the next batter and was replaced by Hagan Banks. Banks struck out the next two batters to end the inning.
Alabama scored twice more in the bottom the fifth, once on a passed ball, and once on the fourth hit of the day by Hodo, an RBI single. Banks tossed a perfect sixth inning and left hander Beau Bryans took over in the seventh for the Tide. Bryans made quick work of the Hose with two strikeouts and a ground out to end the game with the 15-1 mercy rule win.
The Tide hit 13-30 in the game with five walks, two hit batters, four strikeouts, a double, two home runs, a sacrifice fly, and left five men on base. Hodo had the big day with 4-4 with a grand slam, a double, two runs scored, and five driven in. LeBron was 2-4 with a walk, three runs scored, five driven in, and a home run. Fowler hit 2-3 with a walk, a hit by pitch, and three runs scored. Snell was 2-3 with a sacrifice fly, a run scored, and a RBI. Quick improved to 4-0 with the win and Banks and Bryans were perfect in a combined 1.2 innings with four strikeouts.
Presbyterian hit 2-21 in the game with two walks, one hit batter, five strikeouts, and left two men on base.
Game Three – Lost 11-8
On a cold, rainy day it looked as if there might not be a game on Sunday. The start was delayed by an hour, and after much hard work, the field was deemed satisfactory to play on. Right hander Bobby Alcock took his regular turn in the rotation for the Tide, facing off with Robbie Boykin of the Blue Hose.
Alcock started strong, striking out the side in the top of the first inning. The Tide got off to a fast start scoring four times in the bottom of the first. With one out Justin LeBron blasted his nation leading 11th home run of the year and drove in his nation leading 43rd run of the year. After Coleman Mizell walked Jason Torres crushed his fifth home run of the year for a 3-0 lead. Will Hodo doubled, Kade Snell singled, and Brady Neal brought Hodo home with a sacrifice fly.
The Blue Hose cut into the lead in the top of the second scoring twice with only one hit, an error, a fielders choice, a wild pitch, and a sacrifice fly. Both runs were unearned and the score was now 4-2. The Tide went down in order in the bottom half. Presbyterian added three more in the third inning. After a fly ball for the first out. Mikah Conner reached on an infield single and moved up on a single by Trey Fenderson. A line out to centerfield was out two, but Alcock walked the next man to load the bases. Tyler Fay was called in from the bullpen and Ryan Ouzts struck a base clearing double to cut the lead to 6-5. A ground ball ended the frame. In the bottom half of the third, Torres followed a hit by pitch to Mizell with his second two run home run of the game, giving Bama a 6-5 lead.
Fay retired the Hose in order in the fourth, but gave up an unearned run in the fifth after a single, two base error, and run scoring ground out. The Tide blew a great chance to blow the game open in the bottom of the inning. Richie Bonomolo, Jr and Bryce Fowler both walked to start the frame, bringing LeBron to the plate. Bonomolo and Fowler pulled off a double steal to put both runners in scoring position, but PC did what most would do and intentionally walked LeBron before he could add to his RBI total. Mizell followed with a pop out to third base and Torres rapped into an around the horn double play, and the Tide got nothing out of the inning. In the fifth the Tide had another opportunity for a big inning when the loaded the bases on three walks, but a sacrifice fly by Bonomolo brought in the only run, giving Bama a 7-6 lead entering the sixth.
Left hander Matthew Heiberger replaced Fay to begin the sixth inning, and on this day did not have his best stuff. Back to back doubles to start the inning tied the score and after a strikeout for out one, Heiberger walked the nine place hitter and was pulled in favor of right hander Braylon Myers. Conner greeted Myers with a bunt single to load the bases. A walk to Fenderson drove in a run, and a single by Amman Dewberry drove in two more. Jake Randdolph was robbed of a home run on a great catch by Fowler reaching over the right field wall, but a run scored to make the score 11-7. Closer Carson Ozmer became the third pitcher of the inning and ended the rally with a fly out to Fowler.
Ozmer tossed scoreless frames in the seventh and eighth with one hit, one walk, and four strikeouts, giving the Tide offense a chance to try and spark a comeback. Bama went out easily in order in the seventh, and actually got something going in the eighth. Fowler led off with the teams first hit since the third inning with a single, LeBron was then walked for the third time. A strikeout and force out brought two quick outs. Hodo lifted an easy fly ball to left field which was dropped, allowing LeBron to score. A fly out to centerfield killed the momentum and was the third out.
Austin Morris began the ninth inning on the mound for the Tide and retired the first two batters he faced. Matthew Rollinson doubled and after a walk to Eli Lazio, Morris was lifted for Aidan Moza. Moza induced a ground out to end the inning. Sean Hollister made quick work of the Tide in the bottom half and the Blue Hose secured the victory over the 23rd ranked Alabama team.
Bama hit only 7-32 in the game, drew nine walks, had two hit batters, struck out only three times, and left 10 men on base. The team hit three home runs, two doubles, had two sacrifice flies, and stole two bases. Torres led the way with his 2-4 day with two home runs and four runs driven in. Hodo was 2-4 with two doubles, a walk, and two runs scored. LeBron was pitched around all game after his home run and finished 1-2 with three walks, two runs, and an RBI. Heiberger fell to 1-1 with the loss.
Over the series Alabama finished 31-93 for a .333 average, walked 19 times, had six hit batters, struck out 12 times, hit five home runs and six doubles, scored 33 runs, and left 25 men on base.
Presbyterian, after only seven combined hits in the first two games, was 11-38 with five walks, 11 strikeouts, and left seven men on base. Over the three games the Blue Hose hit 18-85 for a .211 average, struck out 27 times, walked eight times, hit five doubles and one home run, and left 15 men on base. Sean Hollister was the winning pitcher with 4.2 innings with one hit, one unearned run, two walks, and two strikeouts. Hollister improved to 2-1 on the year.
Who Did What ?
* Justin LeBron 6-11, 2 home runs, 1 double, 9 RBI, 5 runs, 3 walks,
* Will Hodo 9-12, 6 runs, 5 RBI, 4 doubles, Grand slam home run, walk
*Jason Torres 5-10, 2 home runs, 6 RBI, 5 runs, 2 HBP, walk
*Zane Adams W (3-0) 6 innings pitched, 5 hits allowed, 0 walks, 10 strikeouts, 0 runs
*Riley Quick W (4-0) 4.1 innings pitched, 2 hits allowed, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts, 1 run
Thoughts and Notes:
This was a series the Tide should really have swept, but this is baseball and anything can happen on any given day. Several highly rated teams have lose games this season already, for example Auburn has lost to both Columbia and Old Dominion in pre-conference play. LSU lost to Omaha earlier this season, and the list goes on and on. The 16 game winning streak was the best streak to open a season in Crimson Tide history, and fell just short of breaking the all time record. The bats went cold and the pitching struggled at the same time for the first time in the same game this season.
Justin LeBron is off to a historic start, and already passed his season total in RBI from 2024 (37), and is within one of his home run total of 12 as a freshman. After 17 games the All American is leading the nation in both home runs (11) and RBI (43), and is hitting .394.
Brennon Norton tweaked his back in Saturday’s game and did not play on Sunday, giving freshman Jon Young, Jr the first start of his career. Coach Rob Vaughn said of Young “Jon’s not scared, I can ride with that dude, he is going to be a good one for us.”
Matthew Heiberger and Brylon Myers gave up their first earned runs of the year in Sunday’s finale.
The Tide has already passed their 2024 season total of stolen bases, and are 25-28 in pilfering bags so far this year.
In six appearance Carson Ozmer has four saves in 6.2 innings pitched with 13 strikeouts and no runs allowed.
The team is hitting .340 with 35 home runs, 33 doubles, 126 walks, 36 hit batters, and 108 strikeouts.
Up Next is a trip to Birmingham’s Region Park to play the Birmingham University Blazers on Tuesday night at 6 p.m. CT. The game can be seen on ESPN Plus. Former Alabama outfielder Camden Hayslip now plays for the Blazers, who are off to a fast start with a 13-3 record.
Roll Tide
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