The Tide shut out the Tigers, 6-0, in game one before a 4-3 victory in the second contest secured the series
March 19, 2016
BATON ROUGE, LA - Alabama baseball was able to earn the series victory over No. 7 LSU with a pair of wins on Saturday. The afternoon game saw the Crimson Tide shut out the Tigers, 6-0, before the nightcap ended in favor of UA, 4-3. The series win was Alabama's first in Baton Rouge since 1996.
"Offensively, we're showing a little spark right now and starting to look like the offense we thought we'd be," said Alabama head coach Mitch Gaspard. "With that, we're getting some big two-out hits and critical hits at the right moment; that's what you have to do to LSU. This is a tough place to win, so obviously when you can win two in one day here it's awfully special. The series win means a lot and gets us off to a good start in SEC play."
Alabama's offensive effort was highlighted by Will Haynie, with the junior finishing 4-for-8 with a double, a home run, three RBI and two runs scored. Chandler Taylor also had himself a day, finishing at .333 (3-9) with a double, homer, two RBI and one run scored. The Crimson Tide starters in Geoffrey Bramblett and Jake Walters each earned a win on Saturday, working a combined 11.2 innings and allowing only one earned run and two total walks.
GAME ONE
Alabama's offense strung together 12 hits on the way to a 6-0 shutout win over LSU in game one. The shutout win was the Crimson Tide's first shutout win in Baton Rouge since May 14, 2000.
The Alabama hitters accounted for 12 total hits with every starter recording at least one knock. The offensive effort was highlighted by Haynie, who finished 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI and a run scored. His two-RBI double was part of a four run, seven-hit seventh inning. Also contributing a pair of hits were Chandler Avant (2-for-5) and Taylor (2-for-5). Taylor added his team-high third home run of the season and also added two RBI and a run scored.
Bramblett (2-0) paired with senior Jon Keller to shut out the Tigers. Bramblett earned his second win of the year, allowing only four hits and one walk with a strikeout across his 6.0 innings of work. Keller followed with 3.0 innings of scoreless baseball to earn his first save of the year. LSU starter Alex Lange (2-1) suffered his first career loss in the outing, going 6.2 innings and allowing four earned runs on 10 hits and one walk. Lange had previously won 14 straight starts to begin his career (12 in 2015, two in 2016).
Saturday's first contest began as a pitcher's duel, with the two teams going scoreless through the first six full innings. The Crimson Tide offense broke the tie, exploding for four runs in the seventh inning, using seven hits to take the decisive lead. Chance Vincent led off the inning with a double and Georgie Salem followed with a perfectly placed bunt to put runners on the corner for Haynie. The Tide catcher sent the 3-1 pitch off the wall in left-center field to score both runners and break the 0-0 tie.
A single moved Haynie to third, and then a two-out single back up the chute from Avant scored one more. Taylor singled in the very next at-bat to give UA runners on the corners once again. Cody Henry followed by sending a looper past a diving Tiger shortstop on the infield to bring across the frame's final run and give Alabama the 4-0 lead.
In the ninth, UA added the game's final two tallies. With one out and one on, Taylor homered into the bleachers in right field to cross Keith Holcombe and give the Tide a 6-0 lead.
Keller shut down the Tigers in the final three innings for the save, retiring the final seven batters he faced to close out the game.
GAME 2
The Tide claimed the 4-3 win in Saturday's nightcap to clinch the doubleheader sweep and earn the series win over the Tigers.
Alabama began the game two scoring with two runs on a hit and an error. Holcombe reached on a fielding error before Avant was hit by a pitch to give the Tide two runners. One out later, Cody Henry was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Cobie Vance, who sent a single through the left side to score one. Vincent followed with a groundout to first but was able to score the run to give Alabama a 2-0 advantage.
Leading off the fifth, Haynie took a 1-0 pitch deep to left field for a solo homer that pushed the lead to 3-0 for Alabama. LSU would get its first run of the day in the bottom of the sixth, using a double and then a single to narrow the gap to 3-1.
The Tide added one more for insurance in the ninth. A one-out single from Georgie Salem was followed by a two-out single from Haynie to put runners on the corners. With two down, Holcombe slapped a single to right center to score Salem and put the Tide in front, 4-1.
Alabama's insurance run would prove crucial, as the Tigers were able to rally for two in the ninth. LSU put a pair in scoring position with two down before a single and a wild pitch scored two and moved the game to 4-3. The Tigers had a runner on second and a 3-2 count before Matt Foster was able to record a popup in foul territory to claim his first career save at Alabama.
The pitching effort was highlighted by Walters (2-2), who went 5.2 innings and allowed one earned run on seven hits and a walk with three strikeouts in the start for his second win of the season. He was followed by the trio of Dylan Duarte, Sam Finnerty and Foster with Foster closing out the ninth.
"The pitching staff as a whole did a good job today, and they made some key pitches at the right moment," said Gaspard of his pitching staff. "LSU got their hits, but they didn't have much to show for it. Our freshmen came in, their nerves were really good and they threw strikes. That was the key today: We pounded the zone and made key pitches in key moments to help us get these two wins."
Alabama will go for the series sweep tomorrow at 1 p.m. CT on SECN+. The Crimson Tide will look to junior right-hander Nick Eicholtz for the start while the Tigers will counter with senior lefty John Valek III.
Get all the latest information on the team by following AlabamaBSB on Twitter and Instagram and on Facebook at Alabama Baseball. General athletic news can be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and AlabamaAthletics on Facebook.
-UA-
RTR,
Diamond Tide :biga:
March 19, 2016
BATON ROUGE, LA - Alabama baseball was able to earn the series victory over No. 7 LSU with a pair of wins on Saturday. The afternoon game saw the Crimson Tide shut out the Tigers, 6-0, before the nightcap ended in favor of UA, 4-3. The series win was Alabama's first in Baton Rouge since 1996.
"Offensively, we're showing a little spark right now and starting to look like the offense we thought we'd be," said Alabama head coach Mitch Gaspard. "With that, we're getting some big two-out hits and critical hits at the right moment; that's what you have to do to LSU. This is a tough place to win, so obviously when you can win two in one day here it's awfully special. The series win means a lot and gets us off to a good start in SEC play."
Alabama's offensive effort was highlighted by Will Haynie, with the junior finishing 4-for-8 with a double, a home run, three RBI and two runs scored. Chandler Taylor also had himself a day, finishing at .333 (3-9) with a double, homer, two RBI and one run scored. The Crimson Tide starters in Geoffrey Bramblett and Jake Walters each earned a win on Saturday, working a combined 11.2 innings and allowing only one earned run and two total walks.
GAME ONE
Alabama's offense strung together 12 hits on the way to a 6-0 shutout win over LSU in game one. The shutout win was the Crimson Tide's first shutout win in Baton Rouge since May 14, 2000.
The Alabama hitters accounted for 12 total hits with every starter recording at least one knock. The offensive effort was highlighted by Haynie, who finished 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI and a run scored. His two-RBI double was part of a four run, seven-hit seventh inning. Also contributing a pair of hits were Chandler Avant (2-for-5) and Taylor (2-for-5). Taylor added his team-high third home run of the season and also added two RBI and a run scored.
Bramblett (2-0) paired with senior Jon Keller to shut out the Tigers. Bramblett earned his second win of the year, allowing only four hits and one walk with a strikeout across his 6.0 innings of work. Keller followed with 3.0 innings of scoreless baseball to earn his first save of the year. LSU starter Alex Lange (2-1) suffered his first career loss in the outing, going 6.2 innings and allowing four earned runs on 10 hits and one walk. Lange had previously won 14 straight starts to begin his career (12 in 2015, two in 2016).
Saturday's first contest began as a pitcher's duel, with the two teams going scoreless through the first six full innings. The Crimson Tide offense broke the tie, exploding for four runs in the seventh inning, using seven hits to take the decisive lead. Chance Vincent led off the inning with a double and Georgie Salem followed with a perfectly placed bunt to put runners on the corner for Haynie. The Tide catcher sent the 3-1 pitch off the wall in left-center field to score both runners and break the 0-0 tie.
A single moved Haynie to third, and then a two-out single back up the chute from Avant scored one more. Taylor singled in the very next at-bat to give UA runners on the corners once again. Cody Henry followed by sending a looper past a diving Tiger shortstop on the infield to bring across the frame's final run and give Alabama the 4-0 lead.
In the ninth, UA added the game's final two tallies. With one out and one on, Taylor homered into the bleachers in right field to cross Keith Holcombe and give the Tide a 6-0 lead.
Keller shut down the Tigers in the final three innings for the save, retiring the final seven batters he faced to close out the game.
GAME 2
The Tide claimed the 4-3 win in Saturday's nightcap to clinch the doubleheader sweep and earn the series win over the Tigers.
Alabama began the game two scoring with two runs on a hit and an error. Holcombe reached on a fielding error before Avant was hit by a pitch to give the Tide two runners. One out later, Cody Henry was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Cobie Vance, who sent a single through the left side to score one. Vincent followed with a groundout to first but was able to score the run to give Alabama a 2-0 advantage.
Leading off the fifth, Haynie took a 1-0 pitch deep to left field for a solo homer that pushed the lead to 3-0 for Alabama. LSU would get its first run of the day in the bottom of the sixth, using a double and then a single to narrow the gap to 3-1.
The Tide added one more for insurance in the ninth. A one-out single from Georgie Salem was followed by a two-out single from Haynie to put runners on the corners. With two down, Holcombe slapped a single to right center to score Salem and put the Tide in front, 4-1.
Alabama's insurance run would prove crucial, as the Tigers were able to rally for two in the ninth. LSU put a pair in scoring position with two down before a single and a wild pitch scored two and moved the game to 4-3. The Tigers had a runner on second and a 3-2 count before Matt Foster was able to record a popup in foul territory to claim his first career save at Alabama.
The pitching effort was highlighted by Walters (2-2), who went 5.2 innings and allowed one earned run on seven hits and a walk with three strikeouts in the start for his second win of the season. He was followed by the trio of Dylan Duarte, Sam Finnerty and Foster with Foster closing out the ninth.
"The pitching staff as a whole did a good job today, and they made some key pitches at the right moment," said Gaspard of his pitching staff. "LSU got their hits, but they didn't have much to show for it. Our freshmen came in, their nerves were really good and they threw strikes. That was the key today: We pounded the zone and made key pitches in key moments to help us get these two wins."
Alabama will go for the series sweep tomorrow at 1 p.m. CT on SECN+. The Crimson Tide will look to junior right-hander Nick Eicholtz for the start while the Tigers will counter with senior lefty John Valek III.
Get all the latest information on the team by following AlabamaBSB on Twitter and Instagram and on Facebook at Alabama Baseball. General athletic news can be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and AlabamaAthletics on Facebook.
-UA-
RTR,
Diamond Tide :biga:
