TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – No. 23 Alabama baseball defeated No. 19 Troy, 3-1, in a pitcher's duel on Wednesday night at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The victory improves A...
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The Crimson Tide earned its second ranked victory of the spring
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – No. 23 Alabama baseball defeated No. 19 Troy, 3-1, in a pitcher's duel on Wednesday night at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The victory improves Alabama to 14-0 on the young season.
The Trojans drove in the game's initial run in the third, but the Tide immediately answered in its half of the inning when
Justin Lebron provided the biggest swing of the night, connecting on a two-run home run to seize the early lead.
Brady Neal produced an insurance run in the sixth with an RBI fielder's choice, the final tally to what became the eventual final score.
JT Blackwood surrendered his only run in the third, working 4.0 innings while allowing five hits to go with a pair of strikeouts.
Matthew Heiberger (1-0) followed Blackwood's effort by working a career-high 4.0 innings of his own, surrendering just one hit, one walk and a hit batsman while fanning three Trojans to earn the win.
Carson Ozmer worked a scoreless ninth, allowing one batter to reach before striking out the next three en route to his fourth save of the year.
Will Hodo led the Tide's offensive attack, turning in a 2-for-4 performance with a run scored.
Kade Snell was 1-for-3 with a double while
Brennen Norton and
Coleman Mizell finished with one hit apiece.
From Head Coach Rob Vaughn
"That's a top twenty-five matchup, and I think it lived up to the building. We've been able to go out and and really just kind of outslug people the first three weeks this season. But, a majority of the games we're going to play the rest of the way are going to feel way more like tonight where it's a pitch here, a play here, an opportunity to execute offensively there – and it was good to see us kind of stick with it. JT (Blackwood) was great to start. He scattered five hits and gave up one run, and he made some really big pitches in big spots. Then, obviously, getting Matty (Heiberger) back; he's been working really hard to get himself back to where he's at. Everybody knows he has a good heater, but he threw some really good changeups tonight. He executed in some big spots, fielded his position well, just all the things that elite winning baseball looks like, Matty (Heiberger) did tonight, and then (
Carson Ozmer) finished it. We left some meat on bone there in the fourth and we could have lengthened that out a tick more, but credit Troy's team, that's a really good ballclub. So, good one for our group and proud of the way we competed tonight."
