| BSB/SB ⚾ Baseball Completes Sweep of Wright State with Pair of Wins in Saturday’s Doubleheader

[UA Press Release]

Second Weekend Series for 22nd-Ranked Baseball Brings Wright State to Town - University of Alabama Athletics

Alabama baseball welcomes the Wright State Raiders to Sewell-Thomas Stadium this weekend for a three-game set. The series begins on Friday at 3 p.m. CT followed

rolltide.com

The Crimson Tide and Raiders will meet for the first time in series history on Friday night
Story Links

• Game Notes
• Watch: Friday
• Watch: Saturday
• Watch: Sunday
• Tickets

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama baseball welcomes the Wright State Raiders to Sewell-Thomas Stadium this weekend for a three-game set. The series begins on Friday at 3 p.m. CT followed by a 2 p.m. start for game two on Saturday. Sunday's final matchup is set for a 1 p.m. first pitch with all three games airing live on SEC Network+. The duo of Roger Hoover and Lance Cormier will call all the action on the broadcast.

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. WSU – Sam Wirsing (So., RHP)
SATURDAY: UA – Antoine Jean (So., LHP) vs. WSU – Austin Cline (R-Sr., RHP)
SUNDAY: UA – Dylan Smith (Jr., RHP) vs. WSU – Jake Schrand (Jr., RHP)

Leading Off

• Alabama and Wright State will meet for the first time in series history when the two teams square off on Friday afternoon to begin this weekend's series at Sewell-Thomas Stadium.
• The Crimson Tide has faced three of the current seven member schools in the Horizon League, going 11-0 in those meetings. Alabama paired with Northern Kentucky (2019) and Youngstown State (2008) for three-game series while meeting with UIC twice, first for a pair of games in 2009 followed by a three-game set in 2010. UA has never squared off with Milwaukee, Oakland, Purdue-Fort Wayne or Wright State.
• Alabama will send junior right-hander Tyler Ras to the mound on Friday for the series opener. Ras will be followed by Antoine Jean, a lefty, on Saturday with right-hander Dylan Smith taking the hill for the start on getaway day.
• Wright State will open the series with right-hander Sam Wirsing on the hill, who will be making his first appearance of 2021. The Raiders are scheduled to follow with right-hander Austin Cline on Saturday and junior righty Jake Scrhand to close things out on Sunday.

About Alabama

• Alabama enters this weekend with Wright State at 4-1. The Crimson Tide began the 2021 season with a three-game sweep of McNeese before traveling to Jacksonville State on Tuesday, coming away with a 5-2 win on the road. The Tide suffered its first loss on Wednesday, falling to UT-Martin, 9-5. The loss ended UA's winning streak in the month of February at 18 games.
• The Crimson Tide suffered its first loss of 2021 on Wednesday as UT-Martin used seven runs across the final three innings to put the game out of reach.
• Alabama got out front 3-0 in the fourth, but UT-Martin chipped away with one run apiece in the fifth and sixth before adding two in the seventh to take a lead. UA came right back with one in the home half of the seventh to make it a 4-4 game, but a three-run eighth and a pair of runs in the ninth proved too much.
• Connor Shamblin made his first start of the season on Wednesday, tossing 4.0 scoreless innings and allowing just two hits while striking out three. The Wednesday outing was Shamblin's first appearance of 2021 after the junior was a bit delayed in his return to the field due to minor injuries suffered in the spring.
• Alabama leaned on the long-ball early and used a seventh-inning two-RBI single from William Hamiter to down Jacksonville State on Tuesday. Peyton Wilson got UA on the board first, leading the game off with a solo home run. Sam Praytor also homered, his of the two-run variety.
• UA's arms were solid on Tuesday with starter William Freeman contributing 4.0 innings, allowing one run on four hits while striking out five. He was followed by Landon Green who worked 2.2 frames and struck out three for the win. Chase Lee came in to close it out, tossing the final 2.1 with four punchouts to pick up the save.
• The offense powered the then-25th-ranked Tide to the three wins over McNeese last weekend, combining for seven home runs during the series – Alabama's most on Opening Weekend since 2007.
• Alabama returned to the field for the first time in 11 months for the season-opener, downing McNeese, 10-6. The win improved UA to 4-0 in season openers under Bohannon.
• Sophomore Connor Prielipp was impressive in his start, tossing 5.0 scoreless frames and allowing only four hits while striking out eight. The outing extended Prielipp's streak to 26.0 consecutive scoreless innings to begin his collegiate career.
• At the plate, UA was led by Drew Williamson. The junior finished with a team-high three hits, including a double, while adding three RBI and a run scored. Also posting multi-hit efforts were Praytor and Wilson, with both notching their first home runs of the season. Praytor went 2-for-3 with two RBI and three runs scored while Wilson, who recorded his first career homer, finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and three runs of his own from the leadoff spot.
• Zane Denton sent a 1-2 pitch over the wall in right to walk it off for Alabama to complete the 4-3 comeback against McNeese on Saturday. Denton's homer capped off a late-inning push by the offense as the Crimson Tide scored all four of its runs across the final three innings.
• Denton got Alabama on the board in the seventh with an RBI-single and was followed by a two-run home run from Owen Diodati in the eighth to even things up at three apiece. Denton finished 3-for-4 with the home run, two RBI and a run scored while Diodati's game-tying homer added two RBI and a run.
• The Crimson Tide was able to stay in the game thanks to a strong effort from Green and Lee. The duo totaled 3.0 scoreless frames with four strikeouts with Lee picking up his first win of the season.
• Alabama used the long ball once again as three home runs powered the Tide to a 9-5 win over McNeese on Sunday afternoon to complete the sweep of the Cowboys.
• The duo of Diodati and Denton homered for a second consecutive day with Williamson contributing a home run of his own. Diodati finished with a team-high four RBI thanks to his grand slam while adding two runs to match Denton for the team-best mark in that category. Denton's homer came as part of a 3-for-4 effort that included two RBI to go with his pair of runs. Williamson recorded his first home run of the season, a solo shot.
• Alabama returned 20 letterwinners while losing 12 from the 2020 squad. The 2021 Crimson Tide welcomed back six positional starters and 10 total pitchers while hosting 14 redshirts or newcomers.

About Wright State

• Wright State travels to Tuscaloosa following a 6-9 campaign in 2020 that was highlighted by a 10-3 win over top-ranked Louisville and two victories over a top-25 Tennessee club.
• The Raiders are led by Alex Sogard who is in his third year as a collegiate coach, spending all three seasons at Wright State. A 2010 graduate of North Carolina State, Sogard is joined by associate head coach Nate Metzger along with assistant coaches in Chase Slone and Zach Weatherford.
• Wright State was selected to win the Horizon League in the conference's preseason poll, as voted on by the member head coaches.

 

[UA Press Release]

Ras’ Impressive Start, Home Runs Lead Baseball to 8-4 Win over Wright State - University of Alabama Athletics

Alabama baseball received an impressive outing from starter Tyler Ras and paired his performance on the mound with three home runs to down Wright State, 8-4, on

rolltide.com

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama baseball received an impressive outing from starter Tyler Ras and paired his performance on the mound with three home runs to down Wright State, 8-4, on Friday afternoon at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The win moved UA to 5-1 on the young season.

Ras (1-0) made the start in place of Connor Prielipp and didn't skip a beat. The junior tossed a career-long 6.0 innings, allowing only one run on one hit with two walks and five strikeouts. He retired 13 of the final 15 batters he faced before exiting the game after the sixth.

The offense gave Ras a cushion early with Peyton Wilson homering to lead off Friday's game. The bats then added two in the second and three in the fourth to widen the gap. Wilson was joined by Zane Denton and T.J. Reeves, who each added a homer of their own. Caden Rose contributed a team-high three RBI as part of his 2-for-3 showing, tying Denton, Reeves and William Hamiter for the team-lead in hits. Hamiter finished his day with three runs scored to pace UA in that category.

From Head Coach Brad Bohannon
"We played really well for eight, eight-and-a-half innings today. It all started with Tyler Ras on the mound. Wow, what a first inning; it was a great lesson to our young pitchers of how when you're pitching or you're on defense you can create momentum for the offense. Ras came out – awesome body language and presence – attacking the strike zone with his fastball, and then Peyton (Wilson) got us started with the home run in the bottom of the first. I was really excited to see a lot of hard contact up and down the lineup and I thought we were really good offensively tonight, too."

How It Happened

• B1 | Peyton Wilson led off the game with a solo shot to right-center to get Alabama on the board first. The leadoff home run was his second of the season and his third home run overall. (1-0, Alabama)
• T2 | A two-out solo home run from Wright State evened things up. (1-1)
• B2 | Zane Denton led off the second with a single and came home in the next at-bat as William Hamiter doubled down the line in right for an RBI. After a groundout, Jim Jarvis singled on the infield to put runners on the corners for Caden Rose. The freshman grounded into a 4-3 fielder's choice but brought in Hamiter on the play for a second run in the inning. (3-1, Alabama)
• B4 | Denton led the inning off with a solo home run. After a groundout, T.J. Reeves delivered a roundtripper of his own for his first homer of the 2021 campaign. The Tide then proceeded to load the bases before a Drew Williamson two-out walk pushed across one more. (6-1, Alabama)
• B5 | With a runner on second and two down, Rose sent a ball to right that bounced over the wall for a ground-rule RBI-double. (7-1, Alabama)
• T7 | Wright State used three hits and a pair of Alabama errors to make it a three-run contest. (7-4, Alabama)
• B7 | Rose recorded his team-high third RBI of the night with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly for the Tide's final run on Friday. (8-4, Alabama)

Postgame Notes

• Tyler Ras pitched a career-long 6.0 innings. His previous best for innings was 5.0 which he had against Maine on March 19, 2019.
• Ras struck out five to match his career-high total. The junior had struck out five on two other occasions, most recently in that start against Maine.
• Eight of Alabama's nine starters recorded at least one hit on the afternoon with all nine starters reaching base safely at least once.
• Alabama has recorded two-or-more home runs in five of six games this season. The Tide recorded two home runs on three occasions so far and totaled three homers twice, including today's series-opener with Wright State.
• Peyton Wilson's leadoff home run was his second of the season and third home run overall. Wilson also homered to lead off the Jacksonville State game on Tuesday.
• Owen Diodati finished 1-for-4 to move his hitting streak to eight games. Diodati is batting .357 (10-28) with a double, one triple, three home runs, 11 RBI, nine runs, six walks, three hit-by-pitch and a stolen base across that time.
• ATTENDANCE: 1,743

Alabama and Wright State return to the diamond on Saturday to finish up the series with a doubleheader. First game of the afternoon is set for 1 p.m. CT with a 30-minute window between the final out and start of game two. The first matchup is scheduled for nine innings with game two in line for seven frames. Both games of the twinbill can be seen live on SEC Network+.

 

[TerryP]

Baseball Completes Sweep of Wright State with Pair of Wins in Saturday’s Doubleheader - University of Alabama Athletics

Alabama baseball completed the sweep of Wright State thanks to two wins in Saturday's doubleheader at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The Crimson Tide won game one, 8-7,

rolltide.com

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama baseball completed the sweep of Wright State thanks to two wins in Saturday's doubleheader at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The Crimson Tide won game one, 8-7, in 11 innings before coming away with a 1-0 victory in the nightcap to complete the sweep of the Raiders. With the two wins, UA improves to 7-1 on the season.

From Head Coach Brad Bohannon
"Today was a really long day at the park for us, but I'm really proud of our competitive spirit. You couldn't have two games that were more polar opposites than those two. The first game we looked like we had a bunch of young guys on the field, but we found a way to win a game late. Then, you get to the second game, and it felt like an SEC game. Dylan Smith was awesome, their starter was awesome, and you had two guys out there bumping 94-95 and throwing three pitches for a strike. We had a couple of small chances we didn't take advantage of, but luckily Sam Praytor got the big knock late to win it for us. There are a lot of things that we need to get better at in a hurry, but I'm really proud to get a sweep over a really good club."

GAME ONE
William Hamiter sent a single over the head of the Wright State left fielder to help Alabama baseball walk off the Raiders, 8-7, in 11 innings in game one of Saturday's doubleheader at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The win clinched the series for the Tide.

Alabama got out front early with two runs in the first and another pair in the third. Wright State then posted three in the fourth and two in the fifth to take the lead. UA came right back with one in the fifth to even it at five apiece but a two-run sixth put the Raiders back in front again. The Tide then posted two runs in the eighth to tie things up and eventually send the game to extras. The offense was able to load the bases in the 11th with Hamiter delivering the walkoff single for UA.

Hamiter led the Tide with three RBI as part of his 2-for-3 day that included two walks. Zane Denton paced UA in hits in game one with a 3-for-5 showing that included an RBI and one run scored.

Alabama's arms were solid despite what the scoreboard said as Antoine Jean, Jacob McNairy and Chase Lee combined to allow just two earned runs across 11.0 innings of work. Jean, who started, tossed 4.2 innings allowing five runs (two earned) on five hits and three walks with five punchouts. McNairy then contributed 4.1 frames of two-run baseball (none earned) with four strikeouts. Lee worked the final 2.0 innings, using the strikeout to record four of his six outs on the way to his second win of the season.

How It Happened

• B1 | Alabama drew three straight walks to start the game before a fielder's choice from Sam Praytor brought in one run. Zane Denton followed with a single through the right side to score a second run and put the Tide in front early. (2-0, Alabama)
• B3 | William Hamiter stayed hot, delivering a two-RBI single to right to double UA's lead. (4-0, Alabama)
• T4 | The Raiders used one hit and a pair of errors to plate three unearned runs and narrow the gap to one. (4-3, Alabama)
• T5 | Wright State took its first lead of the day in the fifth. A sac fly with two in scoring position tied things up. After a walk and an Alabama pitching change, the Raiders singled through the right side to bring in one more. (5-4, Wright State)
• B5 | The Tide added one to even things up. Praytor drew a one-out walk and hustled to get himself to third on a single to center from Denton. The extra 90 feet paid off as a wild pitch brought in the tying run. (5-5)
• T6 | An Alabama miscue allowed one runner to reach and a single put two on for the Raiders. A two-RBI double one out later gave WSU the lead again. (7-5, Wright State)
• B8 | Alabama tied it up with a pair of runs in the eighth. Hamiter led things off with a walk and moved to third on a double from Jim Jarvis. Peyton Wilson brought both runners home with an RBI-single to left-center to tie it at seven apiece. (7-7)
• B11 | Drew Williamson led the inning off with a single. One out later, a hit-by-pitch and walk loaded things up for Hamiter. The sophomore delivered a line drive over the head of the WSU left fielder to walk it off for the Crimson Tide.

Postgame Notes

• The 4:06 time on the game tied for the 15th-longest game by minutes in program history.
• Owen Diodati's hitting streak ended at eight games. Across the streak, Diodati batted .357 (10-28) with a double, one triple, three home runs, 11 RBI, nine runs, six walks, three hit-by-pitch and a stolen base.

GAME TWO
Praytor's RBI-double in the bottom of the sixth was all the Crimson Tide needed as UA completed the sweep of the Raiders with a 1-0 win in game two of the day.

The nightcap featured strong pitching performances from both sides. Alabama's starter Dylan Smith was electric in game two, striking out a career-high seven across 5.2 scoreless frames. He was followed by Landon Green (2-0) who tossed 1.1 innings with three strikeouts for his second win of the season.

How It Happened

• B6 | Drew Williamson led off the inning with a walk. The junior would score in the next at-bat as Sam Praytor found a gap in right-center to bring in the first, and only, run of the nightcap. (1-0, Alabama)

Postgame Notes

• Dylan Smith picked up his first win of the season and the second of his career. His other win came on Feb. 19 of last season in a relief appearance against Alabama State.
• Smith struck out a career-best seven batters in this evening's start. His previous high for strikeouts was five, which he had last weekend against McNeese on Feb. 21.
• The junior also tossed a career-high 96 pitches. The most Smith had pitched in a game prior to tonight was 72 last weekend in the start against the Cowboys.
• With his 1-for-3 performance this evening Sam Praytor extended his hitting streak to five games. Over the current stretch, the Tide catcher is batting .250 (5-20) with three doubles, a home run, four RBI, three runs scored and a pair of walks.
• ATTENDANCE: 1,764 (SELLOUT)

Alabama returns to the field on Tuesday, March 2 as the Crimson Tide travels to Birmingham to take on the UAB Blazers. The two teams will meet at Regions Field, home of the Birmingham Barons, for a 6 p.m. CT matchup.

 

[rick4bama]