| BSB/SB ⚾ BAMA wins weekend series over Stetson.

[Bama News]

No. 23 Baseball Welcomes Stetson to Tuscaloosa for Final Non-Conference Weekend Series - University of Alabama Athletics

Alabama baseball hosts Stetson from Friday through Sunday in what will be the Tide's final non-conference weekend series before the start of Southeastern Conference

rolltide.com

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama baseball hosts Stetson from Friday through Sunday in what will be the Tide's final non-conference weekend series before the start of Southeastern Conference play. The 23rd-ranked Crimson Tide and the Hatters are slated for a 6 p.m. CT start in Friday's opener with a 2 p.m. first pitch on Saturday and a 1 p.m. open on getaway day. All three games will air live on SEC Network+.

Follow the Tide
Fans can follow this weekend's games via the below outlets:
Watch: SEC Network+
Listen: 100.9 FM / CTSN / TuneIn App
Twitter: @AlabamaBSB
Live Stats: RollTide.com

Probable Starting Pitching Matchups
FRIDAY: UA – Tyler Ras (Jr., RHP) vs. SU – Nick Durgin (R-Fr., RHP)
SATURDAY: UA – Dylan Smith (Jr., RHP) vs. SU – Chris Gonzalez (R-Jr., LHP)
SUNDAY: UA – Antoine Jean (So., LHP) vs. SU – TBA

Leading Off

• Alabama and Stetson will meet for the fourth time in series history when the two teams square off on Friday evening to kickstart this weekend's three-game series at Sewell-Thomas Stadium.
• The initial meetings between the Crimson Tide and Hatters came in 1950 with the teams splitting a two-game series in De Land from March 20-21. The most recent matchup between the two schools came in 1996 in Tuscaloosa as part of the NCAA South I Regional. Alabama came away with a 3-1 win over Stetson on May 25 and defeated Virginia a day later to earn a spot in Omaha at the College World Series.
• Alabama opens the series with right-hander Tyler Ras on the hill for a third straight week after a pair of impressive outings in his previous two starts. The Crimson Tide will then look to Dylan Smith, a righty, on Saturday followed by left-hander Antoine Jean in the finale.
• Stetson counters with Nick Durgin on Friday night. The righty will be followed by left-hander Chris Gonzalez for game two. The Hatters' Sunday starter is still to be announced.

About Alabama

• Alabama enters this weekend's series with Stetson riding a three-game winning streak, going 4-1 across the last five games. The 23rd-ranked Crimson Tide secured a series win at the College of Charleston last weekend before heading home to take down South Alabama on Tuesday and Jacksonville State on Wednesday.
• The Tide used another impressive start from Connor Shamblin to take down Jacksonville State, 7-2, on Wednesday evening at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The victory completed the 2021 home-and-home sweep of the Gamecocks.
• Shamblin tossed a career-long 6.0 innings, allowing just one run on three hits to pick up his second win of the season. The Tide starter did not issue a walk while striking out six to match his career-high total.|
• Alabama was led at the plate by William Hamiter, who finished 3-for-5 with a double, two RBI and a run against the Gamecocks. Also contributing a multi-hit effort was Zane Denton who finished 2-for-5 with two RBI and one run.
• Owen Diodati recorded his third grand slam of the season, this one in walkoff fashion as the sophomore's roundtripper led Alabama to an 11-8 win over South Alabama on Tuesday.
• The Crimson Tide and Jaguars traded leads all night with USA taking an 8-6 advantage into the ninth. Alabama used two hits and a pair of errors to score one and load them up for Diodati, with the Canadian sending a ball deep into the student section for the grand slam and walkoff win.
• Chase Lee picked up his third win of the season thanks to 1.2 scoreless innings that included three strikeouts against the Jaguars. Lee entered in a tough spot with the bases loaded and one down in the eighth but battled to keep things close and allow his offense to complete the midweek comeback.
• Tyler Ras put together another solid start, helping Alabama blank the College of Charleston, 8-0, on Friday evening at The Ballpark at Patriots Point. Ras got the series-opening start for a second straight week, totaling a career-high six strikeouts and allowing only three hits with no walks across 6.0 innings.
• Ras was followed by Jacob McNairy, who contributed 2.0 frames, and then Grayson Hitt with 1.0 inning of scoreless baseball to complete the shutout. It was Alabama's second shutout effort this season.
• The Crimson Tide offense received contributions from the entire lineup on Friday. All nine starters reached base safely on the night with eight of the nine starters recording one run apiece. Peyton Wilson and Caden Rose each homered and posted two RBI each with Hamiter also contributing two RBI.
• Despite a strong outing from starter Dylan Smith, Alabama was unable to secure the win against the College of Charleston in a 1-0 ballgame on Saturday afternoon. Smith improved upon his career-best totals from a week ago to set new career-high marks for innings and strikeouts. The junior allowed just one run on four hits with no walks and 10 punchouts but his offense was unable to provide the necessary assistance.
• Alabama downed the College of Charleston, 21-3, in Sunday's matchup to clinch the series. The Crimson Tide bounced back from a shutout on Saturday to score a season-high 21 runs, the most by an Alabama offense since 2019.
• Diodati and Sam Praytor tied for the team lead with four RBI apiece while Will Patota and Andrew Pinckney were close behind with three each. Diodati's four came on a grand slam while Praytor delivered a single and a bases-clearing double for his four as the foursome accounted for 14 of the Tide's 20 RBI.
• Alabama's bats produced a season-high 20 hits and saw 13-of-14 players in the game record at least one hit. Leading the way was Pinckney, who finished 3-for-5 with a double, two runs scored, a walk and a hit-by-pitch to go with his three RBI in his first career start.
• Antoine Jean highlighted the Alabama effort on the mound, picking up his first win of the season with 5.0 scoreless innings. He allowed just three hits and issued two walks while punching out four across his 68 pitches.

About Stetson

• Stetson finished the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign at 11-4. The Hatters were set to host Penn for a weekend series right before the season was shut down.
• Steve Trimper is in his 23rd season as a collegiate head coach and his fourth as the head man at Stetson. A 1992 graduate of Eastern Connecticut State University, Trimper is joined by associate head coach Dave Therneau and assistant coach Joe Mercadante along with volunteer assistant coach Brandon Brewer.
• Stetson was selected to finish second overall in the ASUN Conference's preseason poll, as voted on by the league's head coaches. The Hatters received two first-place votes.

Senior Day 2020

• The Crimson Tide will recognize the 2020 Senior Class at Saturday's game against Stetson. A total of six players and one manager will return to The Joe to take part in the festivities.
• Brett Auerbach, Kyle Cameron, Casey Cobb, Walker McCleney, Dylan Oliver and Kolby Robinson will all be present in addition to student manager Jim Tierney.
• Alabama will begin the ceremonies 30 minutes prior to first pitch.

 

[Brandon Van de Graaff]

Baseball game going to the 9th... UA trails Stetson 4-0, and Stetson currently has a NO HITTER going. Just want to mention that last part for the lurking baseball gods...

 

[Brandon Van de Graaff]

The gods were lurking... Williamson singled to lead off the bottom of the 9th, Denton followed with a 2 run HR. 4-2 now, still batting...

 

[Brandon Van de Graaff]

Welp. Bama got the tying run on 2nd but Stetson got out of it. Stetson won 4-2.

 

[UA Press Release]

Comeback Effort Falls Short in Baseball’s 4-2 Loss to Stetson on Friday - University of Alabama Athletics

Alabama baseball's comeback effort came up short on Friday evening, as the 23rd-ranked Crimson Tide fell to Stetson, 4-2. The loss moves UA to 12-3 on the season.

rolltide.com

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama baseball's comeback effort came up short on Friday evening as the 23rd-ranked Crimson Tide fell to Stetson, 4-2. The loss moves UA to 12-3 on the season.

Alabama was no-hit through eight innings and trailed 4-0 heading to the bottom of the ninth. Drew Williamson began that final frame with a single to left. He came home in the next at-bat when Zane Denton sent a home run deep over the visitor's bullpen in right-center to cut the lead in half. A single from Owen Diodati and a two-out double from Andrew Pinckney brought the go-ahead run to the plate but a 6-3 groundout ended the Tide's comeback.

Stetson starter Nick Durgin (2-1) picked up the win with 8.0 innings of two-run baseball. The redshirt freshman carried a no-hitter into the ninth before giving up the single to Williamson and lost the shutout bid with Denton's home run. Alabama starter Tyler Ras (2-1) was handed the hard-luck loss as his defense failed him, committing a season-high four errors on the night. The four miscues played a part in his four runs allowed – only one of which was earned. Ras' night ended after 5.0-plus innings, giving up three hits and a walk while striking out three.

From Head Coach Brad Bohannon
"Their starter Nick Durgin was just outstanding. He did a great job of pounding the strike zone and was ahead in the count all night. He had outstanding tempo; he controlled the tempo of the at-bats and had a really good breaking ball that he threw for a strike. Hats off to him for eight no-hit innings against us. I thought Tyler Ras gave us a really good start and I was glad to see some fight late, but that's about the only good things I can say about today's game. I'm really hopeful that we can be better tomorrow."

How It Happened

• T2 | A pair of Alabama errors followed by a groundout moved a runner to third for the Hatters. A 6-3 grounder then crossed the man from third for the game's first run. The next batter sent a solo home run over the wall in right for the inning's second run. (2-0, Stetson)
• T6 | The Hatters led off with a walk and a Tide miscue put two on to force a pitching change. A wild pitch and another walk loaded them up before back-to-back sacrifice flies scored two more. (4-0, Stetson)
• B9 | Drew Williamson broke up the no-hit bid with a leadoff single to start the ninth. He was followed by Zane Denton, who sent the first pitch he saw out of the ballpark for a two-run home run. After a Stetson pitching change, Owen Diodati singled. He moved to third two batters later when Andrew Pinckney delivered a two-out double to put the pair in scoring position with the winning run at the plate. Alabama was unable to come any closer, however, as a 6-3 groundout ended the game.

Postgame Notes

• Zane Denton finished 1-for-3 on the night to push his hitting streak to seven games. Across that stretch, Denton is batting .357 (10-28) with two doubles, two home runs, six RBI, eight runs, six walks and one hit-by-pitch.
• Jim Jarvis and Drew Williamson each got aboard in tonight's game and have now reached base safely in 13 straight games dating back to Feb. 21.
• Sam Praytor's hitting streak came to an end at 11 games. Across that time, the Tide catcher batted .293 (12-41) with four doubles, two home runs, 11 RBI, eight runs, eight walks and a pair of hit-by-pitch. It was the longest streak of Praytor's career and the longest by a Crimson Tide hitter this season.
• ATTENDANCE: 1,764 (SELLOUT)

Alabama and Stetson return to the diamond tomorrow afternoon for a 2 p.m. CT first pitch at The Joe. The Crimson Tide will look to right-hander Dylan Smith to even the series while the Hatters counter with lefty Chris Gonzalez. Fans can catch game two of the series on SEC Network+.

 

[UA Press Release]

Walkoff (Again) – Baseball Claims 4-3 Win over Stetson in 12 Innings on Saturday - University of Alabama Athletics

Alabama baseball walked it off in extras on Saturday against Stetson, downing the Hatters 4-3 in 12 innings at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The 23rd-ranked Crimson Tide

rolltide.com

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama baseball walked it off in extras on Saturday against Stetson, downing the Hatters 4-3 in 12 innings at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The 23rd-ranked Crimson Tide evened the series up with the win and moved to 13-3 overall on the season.

Alabama and Stetson were knotted up at three apiece after nine innings. The Crimson Tide got runners on in the 10th and 11th but were unable to capitalize on the opportunities until the 12th. William Hamiter began the 12th with a leadoff single. Sam Praytor followed with a walk to put two on with no outs, creating a sacrifice bunt situation for Drew Williamson. The Tide cleanup hitter dropped down a perfect sac bunt that was fielded by the Stetson pitcher, but an errant throw sent the ball into right field and allowed Hamiter to come all the way in for the game-winning run.

Saturday's matchup saw Dylan Smith and Stetson starter Chris Gonzalez post equally impressive pitching performances. Smith was stellar, tossing a career-long 8.0 innings in the start. The junior allowed three runs on six hits and a walk with a career-high tying 10 strikeouts. He retired the final 10 batters he faced before handing the ball over to his bullpen. Gonzalez countered with 9.2 innings and three strikeouts for the Hatters.

Chase Lee (4-0) picked up his fourth win of the year with a season-long 4.0 innings of scoreless, hitless baseball that included four strikeouts. Lee picked up right where Smith left off, retiring the first six batters he faced to help UA post a stretch of 16 straight retired from the sixth through the 10th inning to push it to extras for the eventual Alabama win.

From Head Coach Brad Bohannon
"What an awesome college baseball game today. Both starters were just outstanding – Dylan (Smith) and their guy Chris Gonzalez. They were just two older guys that know how to pitch, which is pretty refreshing in today's baseball climate. You saw two guys that got out there and commanded their fastball and threw multiple off-speed pitches for a strike. Obviously for us, Chase (Lee) was just outstanding in relief. He threw 4.0 scoreless, hitless innings. I thought we played really clean today; a couple of diving catches in center field and the pitching was just outstanding."

How It Happened

• T2 | Stetson got on the board first. After a pair of one-out singles put runners on the corners, a sacrifice fly to left brought in the game's first run. (1-0, Stetson)
• B2 | Zane Denton tied things up with a solo shot to left, his second homer in as many days and his sixth overall on the season. After a hit-by-pitch and a pair of singles loaded them up, the Crimson Tide took the lead as Caden Rose was hit by a pitch to push a run across. With the bases still loaded, Peyton Wilson brought in another run on a fielder's choice to move the lead to two. (3-1, Alabama)
• T5 | The Hatters got a runner aboard with a one-out walk. A run came in one out later when a single through the right side plated one. Stetson then doubled down the line in left to bring in the man from first and even things up at three apiece. (3-3)
• B12 | William Hamiter led off the inning with a single and moved into scoring position on a walk by Sam Praytor. Drew Williamson came to the dish next, needing to get a sacrifice bunt down. Williamson got the bunt down but an errant throw to first by the Stetson pitcher went into right field and allowed for the winning run to cross.

Postgame Notes

• The Crimson Tide honored the 2020 Senior Class in Saturday's pregame ceremonies. Former players Brett Auerbach, Kyle Cameron, Casey Cobb, Walker McCleney, Dylan Oliver and Kolby Robinson along with manager Jim Tierney were recognized at the game.
• Alabama has now walked it off in three games this season. The Crimson Tide had a walkoff grand slam from Owen Diodati on March 9 against South Alabama and also had a walkoff win over McNeese on Feb. 20 thanks to a Zane Denton home run.
• Dylan Smith tossed a career-long 8.0 innings and 101 pitches. His previous high for innings was 7.0 last weekend at the College of Charleston on March 6. Smith's high for pitches was 96 in his start against Wright State on Feb. 27 of this season.
• Smith struck out 10 in today's game to match his career-high mark for punchouts. The junior also posted 10 Ks in last weekend's start against the Cougars.
• Chase Lee picked up his fourth win of the season. He has now earned the win in four of his six outings so far in 2021.
• Zane Denton finished 1-for-5 on the day to push his hitting streak to eight games. Across that stretch, Denton is batting .333 (11-33) with two doubles, three home runs, seven RBI, nine runs, six walks and one hit-by-pitch.
• Jim Jarvis got aboard in today's game and has now reached base safely in 14 straight games dating back to Feb. 21.
• ATTENDANCE: 1,764 (SELLOUT)

The Crimson Tide and Hatters will decide the series tomorrow afternoon at The Joe. Alabama sends left-hander Antoine Jean to the mound while Stetson's starter has yet to be announced. First pitch of the rubber match is set for 1 p.m. CT on SEC Network+.

 

[Brandon Van de Graaff]

Bohannon was as irritated as I think I've seen him about the team's play on Friday night after the game (mostly about the infield play). He was much more pleased with how they responded yesterday. Good to see them find ways to win these close games. I'm not expecting basketball team success from them, but they have a Bama basketball team like gauntlet to run in SEC play right out of the gate.

 

[OldPlayer]

Bohannon was as irritated as I think I've seen him about the team's play on Friday night after the game (mostly about the infield play). He was much more pleased with how they responded yesterday. Good to see them find ways to win these close games. I'm not expecting basketball team success from them, but they have a Bama basketball team like gauntlet to run in SEC play right out of the gate.

You don’t hear that very much.

 

[mando]

You don’t hear that very much.

You sure do not but it is awesome to hear and hopefully it will become more the norm. Roll Tide Gentlemen!!!!

 

[Brandon Van de Graaff]

You don’t hear that very much.

Yeah, and I tossed that in there because at the beginning of SEC play in basketball, I said I'd be pleased with a 3-3 split in their first 6 games. Then they went out and won them all...

 

[RTB Twitter Bot]

 

[rick4bama]

Bama is playing great at this time! I mean is it because Bama is making sure all the players are keeping the C-19 in check. Not counting the coachers, but how many of the Bama players had to be isolation.