Diamond Notes : Final Home Matchup of 2019 Pairs Alabama with Samford

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The Crimson Tide and Bulldogs will meet for the 108th time in series history on Tuesday night

5/13/2019

TUSCALOOSA, AL –
Alabama baseball closes out its 2019 home and midweek slate with a matchup against in-state foe Samford on Tuesday night at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The Crimson Tide and Bulldogs are scheduled for a 6 p.m. CT first pitch with the game airing on SEC Network+.

The Tuesday game with Samford will feature the Crimson Tide's final "$2 Tuesday" promotion. The deal is one of Alabama's season-long promotions at The Joe. The "$2 Tuesday" promotion allows fans to purchase $2 general admission tickets at the gates or online. Once inside the stadium, those in attendance can take advantage of $2 hot dogs at all concession stands.

FOLLOW THE TIDE
Fans can follow Tuesday's game via the below outlets:


Watch: SEC Network+
Listen: 102.9 FM / CTSN / TuneIn App
Twitter: @AlabamaBSB
Live Stats: RollTide.com

PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUP

TUESDAY: UA – Garret Rukes (R-So., LHP) vs. SAM – Jalon Long (Fr., RHP)

LEADING OFF

• Alabama and Samford will meet for the 108th time in series history when the two teams square off in midweek action on Tuesday night at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The Crimson Tide holds the all-time series lead, 92-15, as well as a dominant 73-9 advantage in Tuscaloosa.
• The Crimson Tide and Bulldogs met earlier this season in Birmingham, with Alabama claiming a 21-2 win on April 9. In that midweek, the Crimson Tide recorded a season-high 19 hits, including 13 extra-base knocks made up of nine home runs, three doubles and a triple. Eleven total players recorded at least one hit, seven of which contributed to the home run totals. The Crimson Tide scored one in the first before scoring 13 runs on an Alabama-record 11 hits in the third inning, highlighted by a program-record five home runs in the frame to go with three doubles and a triple.
• Alabama calls on left-hander Garret Rukes in the Tuesday start. The redshirt sophomore is 3-0 with a 1.69 ERA (5 ER/26.2 IP) across 16 appearances, including three starts. Rukes made the start in Birmingham against Samford in the last pairing, picking up the win with 3.0 innings of scoreless baseball.
• Samford will send freshman righty Jalon Long to the hill in the midweek matchup. Long is 3-1 on the year with a 4.97 ERA (16 ER/29.0 IP). Long faced the Crimson Tide earlier this year, entering in relief.

ABOUT ALABAMA

• Alabama wrapped up the week with a 2-2 split across four games. The Crimson Tide first defeated Troy on the road Wednesday before returning to Tuscaloosa for a series with 18th-ranked Texas A&M, winning the middle game of the weekend with the Aggies. All three games on the weekend kept with the trend of close games in Alabama-A&M series, with each contest being decided by one run.
• The Crimson Tide put forth a complete team effort in Wednesday's 7-3 win over Troy at Riddle-Pace Field. Alabama and Troy traded runs through the first four innings before a three-run home run in the seventh from sophomore Tyler Gentry put UA in front for good. The Crimson Tide added two more tallies in the seventh for insurance in the 7-3 midweek win.
• Freshman Tyler Ras started for UA, part of the Tide's seven total pitchers who saw work on the mound by night's end. The six bullpen arms combined for 7.0 frames of one-run baseball with junior Casey Cobb earning his first win of the season. The right-hander contributed 2.0 innings as the first man out of the bullpen. Crimson Tide closer Jeremy Randolph picked up the save with the graduate striking out three in the ninth to strand the bases loaded.
• Ras led all hitters with a 4-for-5 night that included two doubles, an RBI and one run scored. Leading the Alabama bats in RBI was Gentry with four, part of his 2-for-5 effort that also included the home run, a double and one run scored.
• Alabama fell in the series opener with Texas A&M by a score of 3-2 on Friday evening at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The scoring was kept at a minimum on Friday evening. The Crimson Tide struck for one in the bottom of the first followed by A&M answering back with a two-spot in the second. Alabama knotted it up after the third but one unearned run in the Aggie fourth proved the difference, as the two teams went quiet the final five innings. The Tide had opportunities to tie things up, reaching a runner in four of the final five innings, but could not pull even.
• The Tide offense on Friday was led by the heart of the order with the 3-4-5 hitters combining for five hits. Three-hole hitter Morgan McCullough finished 3-for-4 to give the junior the team lead in hits. Gentry finished with one hit and a walk to extend his hitting streak from the cleanup spot. Rounding out the group was No. 5 hitter, freshman Drew Williamson, who contributed UA's lone RBI as part of his 1-for-4 evening.
• A career-day by Brock Love, teamed with a pair of solo home runs helped UA to a 2-1 win over A&M on Saturday. The Crimson Tide received a strong pitching performance from the trio of Love, Cobb and Randolph in game two.
• Love was impressive in the start, setting new career-high marks for innings pitched (7.0), batters faced (26) and total pitches (106) on his way to the win. The redshirt junior allowed one run on six hits and a walk while striking out three before handing it over to the bullpen. Cobb followed, with the junior contributing 1.2 scoreless innings of relief. Randolph was then able to secure the win with a two-pitch save, his ninth of the season.
• Alabama gained its two-run advantage thanks to solo home runs from a pair of freshmen. The first solo shot of the day came from T.J. Reeves in the bottom of the first. Reeves sent an 0-1 pitch over the scoreboard in left for his ninth homer of the season. The Tide's second roundtripper came from Ras in the fourth, as the designated hitter turned on one, sending a deep fly over the wall in left for the 2-0 lead.
• After falling behind early, Alabama fought its way back into the game but came up just short of completing the comeback in Sunday's 6-5 loss to Texas A&M. The Aggies built their lead in the first with five runs on three hits and an error to put the Tide in an early hole.
• The Crimson Tide then began chipping away at the lead, posting single tallies in the first, fourth, fifth and seventh to make it a 5-4 game. A&M added one more in the top of the eighth to set the score at 6-4, but UA would not give in. Alabama was able to plate one in the ninth and had the go-ahead run aboard but would get no closer.
• UA's offense was led by the 2-through-5 hitters. Gentry and Williamson each finished with three hits while Gentry also added a team-high three RBI to go with one run scored. Reeves and McCullough trailed closely behind, recording two hits and a pair of runs to round out the foursome.

ABOUT SAMFORD


• Casey Dunn is in his 15th year leading the Bulldogs in 2019 and entered the new season with a career record of 444-377 - all at Samford. Dunn has led the Bulldogs to a school-record 12 30-plus win seasons, including the program's lone 40-win season in 2012. He has led Samford to their only two SoCon titles and two NCAA Tournament appearances in 2012 and 2018. Dunn is joined on staff by associate head coach Tony David, assistant coach Tyler Shrout and volunteer assistant Brad Moss.
• Samford returned 22 letterwinners, including seven positional starters and four starting pitchers, from the 2018 team that finished 37-26 overall and 16-8 in SoCon action before claiming the conference title to earn an automatic bid into the NCAA Tallahassee Regional. The 2019 roster is without one letterman from a season ago and welcomes 10 newcomers.
• The Bulldogs were selected to win the Southern Conference in the league's preseason poll, as voted on by the conference's head coaches and the media.

ON DECK

Alabama will head to Athens for a three-game series against the sixth-ranked Georgia Bulldogs from Thursday through Saturday. The series at Foley Field will begin with a pair of 6 p.m. CT first pitches in games one and two followed by a 1 p.m. CT start on Saturday. All three games will be broadcast on SEC Network+.


-UA-



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