⚾ 🥎 ⚾ BAMA vs LSU (GM3, Rubber Match ~ Sunday @ 2 CT)

Baton Rouge Bound – Baseball Heads to LSU for Final SEC Roadtrip of 2021 Campaign - University of Alabama Athletics

Alabama baseball wraps up the 2021 road schedule with a trip to LSU from Friday through Sunday.

rolltide.com

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama baseball wraps up the 2021 road schedule with a trip to LSU from Friday through Sunday. The Crimson Tide and Tigers are set for a 7 p.m. CT first pitch in the series opener at Alex Box Stadium followed by a pair of 2 p.m. starts on both Saturday and Sunday. Games one and three of the series will air on SEC Network+ with the middle contest being broadcast nationally on SEC Network.

Follow the Tide​

Fans can follow this weekend's series via the below outlets:
Watch: SEC Network+ (Friday and Sunday) | SEC Network (Saturday)
Listen: 100.9 FM / CTSN / TuneIn App
Twitter: @AlabamaBSB
Live Stats: StatBroadcast.com=

Probable Starting Pitching Matchups​

FRIDAY: UA – Tyler Ras (Jr., RHP) vs. LSU – Landon Marceaux (Jr., RHP)
SATURDAY: UA – Dylan Smith (Jr., RHP) vs. LSU – AJ Labas (R-Jr., RHP)
SUNDAY: UA – TBA vs. LSU – TBA

Leading Off​

• Alabama and LSU will meet for the 376th time in series history when the two teams square off on Friday evening at Alex Box Stadium. The Crimson Tide leads the all-time series, 203-169-3, with the Tigers holding a slight 86-82-3 advantage in Baton Rouge.
• The two teams last met from April 26-28, 2019, in Tuscaloosa, with LSU clinching the series win in Sunday's rubber match. Alabama earned a 6-1 win on opening night before falling, 5-2, in game two of the weekend. LSU followed up with a 5-4 win on getaway day to secure the 2-1 advantage in the three-game set.
• LSU earned a series win the last time the two teams met in Baton Rouge from May 11-13, 2018. The Tigers took game one, 7-5, before the Tide rallied for a 6-1 win the next day. The series finale finished in a 7-3 win for the home team with LSU avenging its' 2016 home series loss to UA.
• Alabama will call on a pair of veteran right-handers once again in Tyler Ras and Dylan Smith. Ras will open the series on Friday with Smith getting the start in game two of the weekend. The Crimson Tide's Sunday starter has yet to be announced.
• LSU will look to its' usual 1-2 punch in right-handers Landon Marceaux and AJ Labas to open the series. Marceaux will take the ball in Friday's opener with Labas following on Saturday afternoon. The Tigers' Sunday starter is also still to be determined.

About Alabama​

• Alabama closed out last week at 0-2 after falling in a pair of games at second-ranked Vanderbilt over the weekend. The series finale in Nashville was canceled due to rain.
• The Crimson Tide fell, 9-6, to the Commodores in the series opener last Friday night at Hawkins Field. The teams traded leads in the third and fourth innings with Vanderbilt gaining the advantage for good in the bottom of the fourth and adding one more for insurance in the sixth.
• Alabama was first on the board on Friday with three runs in the third. Vanderbilt countered for four in the home half, but the Tide came right back with three runs in the top of the fourth. Vandy countered once again, this time with a four-spot to take a two-run lead. VU widened the gap with one more in the sixth to make it a 9-6 game, the eventual final.
• Vanderbilt was able to keep UA scoreless across the final 5.0 innings, but the Tide did not go quietly in the series opener. Alabama was able to reach a baserunner in four of the final five frames and got runners in scoring position in three of those innings but stranded eight during that stretch.
• UA's best chance on Friday came in the seventh with two in scoring position and only one down but a flyout and groundout kept the Tide from mounting a comeback. Kumar Rocker picked up the win for the Commodores despite giving up six runs on six hits and five walks across 5.0 innings of work.
• Alabama suffered a 6-2 loss to Vanderbilt on Saturday afternoon.
• The Commodores got out front early with a pair in the first and one in the second on Saturday. Alabama was able to get on the board with one in the top of the fifth, but Vandy countered with two in the home half to widen the gap. The Crimson Tide added one in the seventh, but Vanderbilt was able to answer with a run of their own to keep the Tide at a distance for the eventual 6-2 final.
• Alabama starter Dylan Smith suffered the loss in game two of the series, allowing five runs on six hits and four walks with seven strikeouts.
• The Sunday matchup between Alabama and Vanderbilt was canceled. The Crimson Tide and Commodores made it through 1.0 full inning of play before rain forced a delay. The two teams sat in a just under two-hour rain delay before officially canceling the game.

About LSU​

• LSU finished the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign at 12-5 overall. The Tigers were preparing for a trip to Oxford to square off with then-No. 8 Ole Miss to open SEC play when the season was officially canceled.
• Paul Mainieri is in his 15th season at LSU in 2021 and owns a 633-278-3 record in Baton Rouge as part of a 1,497-770-8 career mark across his 39 total seasons as a collegiate head coach. Mainieri is joined on his staff by associate head coach Alan Dunn along with assistants Nolan Cain and Eddie Smith.
• LSU was selected to finish fourth in the West and sixth overall in the SEC in the league's preseason poll, as voted on by the conference's head coaches.

On Deck​

Alabama closes out the regular-season schedule when the Tide hosts third-ranked Mississippi State at Sewell-Thomas Stadium from May 20-22. The series opens with a pair of 6 p.m. starts at The Joe followed by a 1 p.m. first pitch in both teams' regular-season finale on Saturday. All three games will air live on SEC Network+.

 

[UA Press Release]

Ras’ Starting Effort Not Enough in Baseball’s 2-1 Loss at LSU - University of Alabama Athletics

Alabama baseball suffered a 2-1 loss at LSU on Friday evening at Alex Box Stadium.

rolltide.com

BATON ROUGE, La. – Alabama baseball suffered a 2-1 loss at LSU on Friday evening at Alex Box Stadium. The loss moved the Crimson Tide to 28-18 overall and 11-13 in Southeastern Conference play.

Alabama received a standout effort from Tyler Ras (6-3), who was handed the hard-luck loss. The Tide starter tossed 6.2 innings and allowed two runs on four hits and three walks with a career-high eight strikeouts. Ras allowed one run on three hits in the first frame before settling down to limit LSU to just one hit and two walks the rest of the way. Tiger starter Landon Marceaux (6-4) picked up the win.

LSU took the early lead with that one run in the first and widened the gap with another run in the bottom of the seventh. Alabama was able to get on the board in the eighth but would get no closer for the eventual 2-1 final.

The Crimson Tide offense was unable to break through for additional runs despite posting 13 hits on the night and reaching a baserunner in all nine frames, moving a man into scoring position in seven of the nine innings. Davis Heller led the offensive effort with a 4-for-4 evening while Jim Jarvis followed close behind, finishing a perfect 3-for-3 with the RBI-triple.

From Head Coach Brad Bohannon​

"Our kids really brought it tonight, really, really competed. We made a couple of very costly mistakes and LSU didn't make any. Really, what the game came down to, is their pitchers beat us in RBI-situations. We had guys on base all night. We did a great job getting on base, but when it came time to put a ball in play with less than two outs or get a two-out hit we just couldn't do it."

How It Happened​

• B1 | The Tigers were first on the board with a leadoff double to start the run-scoring sequence. A single up the middle then moved runners to the corners before a sacrifice fly brought across one. (1-0, LSU)
• B7 | A two-out walk for the Tigers forced a UA pitching change. Following the switch, LSU came through with a double to left and used a Tide error to take the extra base and score one more. (2-0, LSU)
• T8 | Davis Heller recorded his fourth hit of the night, this one a two-out single to keep the inning alive. Jim Jarvis followed with an RBI-triple to right-center to narrow the gap to one. (2-1, LSU)

Postgame Notes​

• Tyler Ras struck out a career-high eight batters in tonight's matchup. Ras' previous career-best for punchouts was six, which he had on three occasions, most recently at Kentucky on April 23.
• Ras tossed 6.2 innings in the series opener and has now worked 5.0-plus frames in nine starts.
• The junior allowed two runs (one earned) and has given up three or less runs in seven of his 12 starts overall.
• Ras has posted seven quality starts this season.
• Alabama hitters recorded 13 hits in tonight's game and have posted double-digit hits in 24 games this season, including 14 SEC contests.
• Davis Heller finished a perfect 4-for-4 on the night. The four hits are a career-high for Heller.
• Heller's four-hit performance was Alabama's fourth this season with the most recent four-hit effort coming from Drew Williamson against Auburn on April 17.
• Jim Jarvis extended his hitting streak to seven games with a perfect 3-for-3 effort. During his streak, the sophomore is batting .435 (10-23) with two doubles, two triples, five RBI, six runs scored and a pair of walks.

Alabama and LSU return to the diamond on Saturday for a 2 p.m. CT first pitch. The Crimson Tide will look to righty Dylan Smith for the start while the Tigers counter with AJ Labas, also a right-hander. Fans can catch game two of the series live on SEC Network.

 

[Brandon Van de Graaff]

Bama got the win today, 6-5 to even the series. Connor Prielipp is scheduled to start tomorrow. Cross your fingers, I suppose...

 

[Bama News]

Early Offense, Solid Bullpen Effort Lead Baseball to 6-5 Win at LSU - Alabama Athletics

Alabama used six runs to pair with a solid bullpen effort for the 6-5 win over LSU on Saturday afternoon at Alex Box Stadium.

rolltide.com

BATON ROUGE, La. – Alabama used six runs to pair with a solid bullpen effort for the 6-5 win over LSU on Saturday afternoon at Alex Box Stadium. The game-two victory evened the series up and moved the Crimson Tide to 29-18 on the season, including a 12-13 mark in league play.

Alabama fell behind early as LSU got on the board with two runs in the first. The Tide answered with one in the top of the second, but the Tigers came right back with one of their own. That run would be the last for LSU until the ninth as UA went on to score five straight runs from the third through the fifth to build a sizeable advantage. That lead would prove crucial as the Tigers used a two-run home run in the ninth to pull within one, but a flyout ended things at 6-5 in favor of Alabama.

Dylan Smith contributed 4.0 innings before handing the ball over to the Tide bullpen. The duo of Connor Shamblin (4-2) and Chase Lee proceeded to post zeroes across the next 4.0 innings to allow time for the offense to build a lead. Shamblin picked up the win with 4.2 relief frames, allowing two runs on three hits and a pair of walks with three strikeouts. He was replaced by Lee, with the Tide closer inducing a fly ball for the game's final out to lock down his seventh save in as many chances.

Alabama's offense was able to post six runs on the power of 13 hits. The Tide bats capitalized on their run-scoring opportunities, finishing 4-for-10 with runners in scoring position on Saturday. Sam Praytor highlighted Alabama's offensive effort, finishing 2-for-5 with a home run, two RBI and one run scored. Also homering was Zane Denton with the Tide first baseman going 2-for-5 with two RBI and a run to pair with his roundtripper.

From Head Coach Brad Bohannon​

"This was obviously a really big win for us; a lot of people played a big part in getting it. One of the stories of the game was Connor Shamblin. He came in and steadied the game to give us a chance to catch up and eventually take the lead. Teams pick each other up and our guys did that today. I'm really proud of our entire team."

How It Happened​

• B1 | Back-to-back solo home runs from Dylan Crews and Gavin Dugas gave the Tigers the early lead. (2-0, LSU)
• T2 | Alabama got one back thanks to a solo home run from Sam Praytor. (2-1, LSU)
• B2 | A pair of one-out walks put two on before a two-out RBI-single widened the gap. (3-1, LSU)
• T3 | The Tide added two in the third. Bryce Eblin began the rally with a one-out single and was followed by Peyton Wilson, who added a single of his own. One out later, Zane Denton singled through the right side to bring home Eblin. He was followed by Praytor, who singled up the middle to score Wilson and make it a tie ballgame. (3-3)
• T4 | Alabama took the lead with two more in the fourth. Jackson Tate got things started with a leadoff single before stealing second. Then, with one down, Caden Rose doubled down the line in right to push UA in front. Eblin came right behind him with a double of his own to make it a two-run Tide lead. (5-3, Alabama)
• T5 | Denton added one more with a leadoff home run to start the fifth. (6-3, Alabama)
• B9 | Dugas pulled LSU within one with his second home run of the day. (6-5, Alabama)

Postgame Notes​

• Connor Shamblin tossed 4.2 relief innings, the most by any Alabama reliever this season. The previous high for relief frames was 4.1 from Jacob McNairy in game one of the doubleheader against Wright State on Feb. 27.
• Alabama's offense posted double-digit hits for the 25th time this season and 15th time in SEC play with 13 knocks in today's game.
• The Crimson Tide offense belted two home runs and has totaled two-or-more home runs in 17 games with at least one home run in 29 games this season.
• Alabama is 21-8 in games with a home run, including a 14-3 mark in contests with two-plus homers.
• The UA offense has homered in 15 of 25 SEC matchups.
• Jim Jarvis extended his hitting streak to eight games with a 1-for-4 effort. During his streak, the sophomore is batting .407 (11-27) with two doubles, two triples, five RBI, six runs scored and a pair of walks.

Sunday's matchup will decide the series between the Crimson Tide and Tigers. Alabama will call on sophomore left-hander Connor Prielipp for the start while LSU looks to Ma'Khail Hilliard, a righty. The rubber match is set for a 2 p.m. CT start with the game airing live on SEC Network+.