The Alabama Crimson Tide baseball teams SEC Tournament run ended on day two as the Tide lost 15-10 to the Tennessee Volunteers. Bama fell to 41-16 on the season while Tennessee improved to 42-15. Now the Tide will wait and see if their 16-14 conference record, 13-0 midweek record, top 11 RPI and 16 quad one wins will be enough to earn a host spot for the upcoming NCAA Tournament. The top 16 seeds will entertain three other teams at home starting next Friday. The selections will be announced on Monday around 10 a.m
With a short week the Tide staff held off on pushing Riley Quick to the mound on short rest, instead Aeden Finateri earned the start vs the Vols. Had Alabama won this game, Quick would have been on the hill for the Tide on Thursday against Texas. Tennessee countered with fireballing right hander Marcus Phillips.
Phillips retired the Tide in order in the top of the 1st on only eight pitches. The Vols took the lead quickly in the bottom half. Andrew Fischer lined a one out single and scored on a double by Hunter Ensley that went right over the third base bag. Phillips had another perfect inning in the 2nd with two strikeouts. Tennessee added to the lead in the bottom half. An 11 pitch lead off walk earned by Reese Chapman proved costly when Chapman scored on a single by Gavin Kilen. With two outs Finateri was lifted in favor of Matthew Heigberger, who got Fischer to fly out to end the inning.
Same story in the top of the 3rd for the Tide, three up, three down, with two more strikeouts. Heiberger was able to keep the Vol’s off the board in the 3rd, working around a single and error to notch a strikeout and induce a double play. Bama finally got a base runner in the top of the 4th. Bryce Fowler led off and after a failed bunt attempt, doubled into the right field corner. Justin LeBron hit a fly ball to right field that allowed Fowler to advance to third. Kade Snell walked to bring Richie Bonomolo, Jr to the plate. Bonomolo ripped a double into the left-center gap to score Fowler. Snell looked to be cruising home as well, but a stop sign thrown up by coach Anthony Papio brought him back to the base. Bonomolo was headed to third and had to retreat and dove back into the bag. Bonomolo was initially called safe, but after a review was called out, putting a damper on the rally. With two outs a strikeout ended the inning with the score now 2-1.
Tennesse answered in the bottom of the 4th. Heiberger allowed back to back singles to begin the inning. Manny Marin sacrificed bunt to advance the runners. Gavin Kilen, a left handed hitter, beat the Tide’s shift by shooting a two run single through the open shortstop hole. Ensley, another lefty, followed by ripping a double through the same open hole. Braylon Myers replaced Heiberger and after throwing a wild pitch that brought in the Vol’s third run of the inning. Myers fielded a come backer to the mound and retired Fischer, who broke from third base, after a rundown. A strikeout of Dalton Bargo ended the inning with the score 5-1 in UT’s favor.
The Tide bounced back in a big way in the top of the 5th, chasing Phillips from the game. Jason Torres led off the inning with a drive that just missed leaving the park, hitting off the top of the right-center field wall, and ended up on second with a double. Brady Neal walked before Brennen Norton hit a single to score Torres. Brandon Arvidson replaced Phillips and struck out Coleman Mizell for the 1st out. Fowler hit a fly ball to center field for out two. LeBron walked to bring Snell to the plate. On the first pitch Snell hit an easy ground ball to Vol second baseman that should have ended the inning. Curley threw the ball away to allow two runs to score, and put runners on 2nd and 3rd. Bonomolo smacked his second double of the game to score two more runs, giving the Tide a 6-5 lead.
The Volunteers tied the game up off of Myers in the bottom half. Myers retired the first two men in order on a strikeout and fly out. Levi Clark then singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Cannon Peebles singled to score Clark and tie the game.
AJ Russell retired the Tide in oder in the top of the 6th on a ground out and two strikeouts. Things fell apart for Bama in the bottom half of the frame. Zane Adams was brought in to pitch for Bama and walked lead of man Kilen. Fischer hit a line drive to second base for the first out. Adams then walked Ensley and allowed a single against the shift through the shortstop hole to score two runs. Hagan Banks then replaced Adams on the hill allowed back to back singles to score two more runs. JT Blackwood was next in and allowed a double to Clark that scored one run and had one runner thrown out at the plate on a throw from Bonomolo to LeBron to Neal. The baserunner, Chapman, was initially called safe by home plate umpire Derek Mollica, even though he was clearly out. The Tide issued a challenge and the call was correctly changed to out. However the Vols still weren’t through. Peebles singled to score another run, but was cut down trying to steal by Neal to end the inning with the Tide trailing 11-6.
Neither team scored in the 7th inning as Russell continued to mow down the Tide and Blackwood held the Vols off the board. The bottom of the 8th was another nightmare for the Tide. Bama used four pitchers and allowed four runs to expand the lead to 15-6. Blackwood allowed a single to Curley and a home run to Chapman before being pulled in favor of Austin Morris. The first batter Morris faced reached on an error, followed by a walk and a two run double by Marin. Beau Bryans was next in as the game tettered on ending by virtue of the run rule. Bryans retired his first man on a ground out, but walked the next two, putting the potential game ending run on third base. Coulson Buchanan was called in next and needed only five pitches to get a ground ball double play turned by Norton and LeBron to end the onslaught.
Down 15-6 the Tide made things somewhat interesting in the top of the 9th. Neal bunted to beat the shift for a single to lead off. The suddenly resurgent Norton smoked a double into the right field corner to put runners on second and third base.Brayden Krenzel was called in from the bullpen to replace Russell. Will Plattner pinch hit and grounded to the pitcher for the first out. Fowler worked a walk to load the base. LeBron stroked a single up the middle to score two and put runners at the corners. LeBron then swiped second base. Snell hit a long fly ball to right field for a sacrifice fly and RBI. making the score 15-9. Bonomolo then singled to drive in his fourth run of the game, and then stole second base as well. Krenzel struck out Will Hodo to end the game with the a 15-10 final score.
Alabama hit 10-36 in the game with five doubles, walked four times, struck out 12 times, and left four runners on base. Bonomolo finished 3-5 with two doubles and four runs driven in. Norton was 2-4 with a double, and RBI, and two runs scored. LeBron was 1-4 with a walk, two runs driven in, two runs, and a stolen base. Fowler scored twice while going 1-4 with a double and a walk. Neal was 1-3 with a walk and scored twice. Adams was the loser and fell to 7-4 on the year.
The Volunteers were an absurd 20-41 in the game with six walks, one hit batter, struck out seven times, and left 10 men on base. UT had three doubles and one home run among their plethora of hits. Fischer, Clark, and Peebles, had three hits each. Kilen, Ensley, Curly, Chapman, and Marin all had two safeties. Chapman drove in four and Kilen had three RBI. Russell earned the win and improved to 2-1 on the year.
Now the Tide waits. The resume should be enough to earn a hosting spot. 41-16, 17 SEC wins (including tournament win over Missouri) 13-0 mid week record, 24-1 in out of conference games, 16-13 in Quad One games, 4-2 in Quad Two games, and an RPI that just dropped to 11 after todays game. The top eight national seeds will be announced on Sunday and the other eight will be reveled on Monday around 10 a.m. CT.
Roll Tide
Bama Baseball Fever, Catch It!
