The Alabama baseball team defeated the Georgia Bulldogs in its final home series of the season 2-1 this weekend. The Crimson Tide now sits at 39-13 overall with a 15-12 SEC record.
Game 1: Georgia 19, Alabama 3
Alabama suffered its worst loss of the season in Game 1, losing to the Bulldogs by a final score of 19-3.
Georgia got the lead early in the first inning, with a solo home run by third baseman Slate Alford to make it 1-0.
Alabama responded almost immediately, with left fielder and captain Kade Snell hitting a 3-RBI double in the third to make it 3-1 Alabama.
However, everything went downhill from there for the home team. The Bulldogs scored 18 unanswered runs in Innings 5-7. Throughout the three-inning onslaught, Georgia had 13 hits, including five home runs. The final nail in the coffin was in the seventh, when Georgia hit back-to-back homers off of Bobby Alcock, which were the final runs of the game.
It was a rough day for the Alabama pitching staff. Tyler Fay got his fifth start of the year and lasted 4.0 innings, giving up four hits and six runs. The Crimson Tide turned to the bullpen four times and the situation worsened. Excluding Tate Robertson, who pitched the final out for Alabama, every pitcher who stepped on the mound gave up at least three runs and had a double digit ERA for the game.
Head coach Rob Vaughn said too many mistakes led to the loss.
“We knew that if you start to give those guys free bases, you’re in trouble, and that was really the story of the first game,” he said. “That offense over there is really hard to stop when it gets rolling, and they made us pay. But our group is tough and reset after that game. I’m proud of the way we bounced back, but we just gave up too many freebies that turned into runs.”
Game 2: Alabama 9, Georgia 3
Alabama was able to bounce back after Game 1, winning Game 2 in comfortable fashion 9-3.
The game was finished over two days, as heavy rain cancelled the first half of the game in the fifth inning.
Georgia got out to an early lead in the first inning once again, scoring runs on back-to-back at-bats, the first being from left fielder Robbie Burnett with a groundout to short, followed by a single from first baseman Tre Phelps.
Alabama responded with four runs of its own. The first two came from a homer from shortstop Justin Lebron, his 17th of the season. Second baseman Garrett Staton later hit a sac fly RBI to center to give Alabama the lead at 3-2. Third baseman Jason Torres then had an RBI single of his own to make it 4-2.
Left fielder Bryce Fowler then hit a 2-run home run in the fourth that barely squeaked over the wall at 320 feet, which made it 6-2.
Georgia tried to fight back when the game later resumed, scoring from a sac fly to the outfield in the seventh to make it 6-3. However, Alabama’s Richie Bonomolo Jr. put the game to bed with a 3-run homer in the eighth to make it 9-3.
Alabama pitcher Riley Quick got the start and continued his dominance, lasting 4.1 innings and striking out seven, while only giving up two earned runs. Braylon Myers came in to relief and Carson Ozmer clinched his 15th save of the season, the most in one season for an Alabama pitcher.
Vaughn was pleased with how his team bounced back when faced with adversity, praising the performances of Myers and Ozmer.
“Braylon Myers was outstanding in Game one,” he said. “Coming in and getting a big out with a runner on third and holding the game for us. Carson Ozmer was just selfless today. There aren’t many guys who would be willing to pitch in two games in one day, but I saw him start ripping pitches in the bullpen and knew he was ready.”
Game 3: Alabama 5, Georgia 4
In a seven-inning game shortened due to rough weather all weekend, the Crimson Tide secured the series win with a 5-4 victory.
Alabama’s offense carried over its momentum from the previous game, as infielder Will Hodo lined an RBI single in the bottom of the first to make it 1-0.
Then the Crimson Tide offense piled on in the second inning. Torres homered to right, then Snell slugged a two-run homer to make it 4-0 Alabama.
Crimson Tide starting pitcher Zane Adams was stellar through the first two innings with four strikeouts, but he finally cracked in the third inning. Bulldogs’ outfielder Bryce Clavon led off the frame with a homer, then Phelps notched an RBI single later in the inning to make it 4-2.
But that would be all Georgia would muster off of Adams, as he pitched a scoreless fourth inning to wrap up his line with four innings, two runs and eight strikeouts.
Alabama got some much-needed insurance in the bottom of the fourth as Lebron lined an RBI double to make it 5-2.
After a short rain delay, pitcher Hagan Banks came in relief of Adams and pitched a scoreless fifth inning but allowed a leadoff walk in the sixth. Georgia’s Dan Jackson followed up by clubbing a two run homer to make it 5-4. Matthew Heiberger went in to replace Banks and left the inning unscathed.
Ozmer finished off his second save of the day in the top of the seventh to secure a series win for the Crimson Tide.
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