A seven-run third for UA all but secured the victory early on in the series opener
2/28/2020
TUSCALOOSA, AL – Alabama baseball posted a season-high 19 hits and 14 walks on the way to 15 runs in a 15-3 win over Harvard on Friday afternoon at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The win pushes the Crimson Tide to 10-0 to start the season, tied for the third-best start to a season in program history.
Alabama scored in five of the final seven innings, highlighted by a seven-run third inning put the game out of reach early. All 13 hitters reached base safely at least once on the day with eight total batters posting multi-hit outings. Leading the way on offense were seniors Brett Auerbach and Kolby Robinson along with freshman Peyton Wilson, with the group recording three hits apiece. Wilson added a team-high three runs scored and two RBI while Auerbach and Robinson each scored two runs. Freshman Owen Diodati led the team in walks, drawing five on the day to match the program record for a single game.
Connor Prielipp (3-0) picked up his third win in the Friday start, building on his previous two performances. The freshman worked a season-long 6.0 innings, allowing only two hits and a walk while striking out a season-high nine batters. Prielipp has now struck out seven or more in all three starts and has accumulated 24 punchouts across 15.0 innings to begin his Crimson Tide career.
From Head Coach Brad Bohannon
"This was just a really complete day for us. I'm really, really pleased with our effort. We had eight players with multiple hits, made a lot of hard contact up and down the lineup, and, again, we scored in five innings. Connor Prielipp just gave us an outstanding start, and we put up a zero in the error column. This was just a really complete effort for us. I'm really proud of our team, and I really hope we come out and do that again tomorrow."
How It Happened
Alabama will look to secure the series win over Harvard tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. CT. The game will feature a pair of righties as the Crimson Tide will look to sophomore Connor Shamblin in the start while the Crimson counter with Owen Holt, also a sophomore. Fans can catch all the action live on SEC Network+.
-UA-
RTR,
Diamond Tide
2/28/2020
TUSCALOOSA, AL – Alabama baseball posted a season-high 19 hits and 14 walks on the way to 15 runs in a 15-3 win over Harvard on Friday afternoon at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The win pushes the Crimson Tide to 10-0 to start the season, tied for the third-best start to a season in program history.
Alabama scored in five of the final seven innings, highlighted by a seven-run third inning put the game out of reach early. All 13 hitters reached base safely at least once on the day with eight total batters posting multi-hit outings. Leading the way on offense were seniors Brett Auerbach and Kolby Robinson along with freshman Peyton Wilson, with the group recording three hits apiece. Wilson added a team-high three runs scored and two RBI while Auerbach and Robinson each scored two runs. Freshman Owen Diodati led the team in walks, drawing five on the day to match the program record for a single game.
Connor Prielipp (3-0) picked up his third win in the Friday start, building on his previous two performances. The freshman worked a season-long 6.0 innings, allowing only two hits and a walk while striking out a season-high nine batters. Prielipp has now struck out seven or more in all three starts and has accumulated 24 punchouts across 15.0 innings to begin his Crimson Tide career.
From Head Coach Brad Bohannon
"This was just a really complete day for us. I'm really, really pleased with our effort. We had eight players with multiple hits, made a lot of hard contact up and down the lineup, and, again, we scored in five innings. Connor Prielipp just gave us an outstanding start, and we put up a zero in the error column. This was just a really complete effort for us. I'm really proud of our team, and I really hope we come out and do that again tomorrow."
How It Happened
- B3 | Alabama erupted for seven runs on six hits to put the game out of reach early. Auerbach led things off with a single to center and moved to second on a wild pitch. After a walk to Diodati, Tyler Gentry singled to left with the junior's liner scoring Auerbach. Redshirt sophomore Sam Praytor then singled up the middle to load the bases before a single from sophomore Drew Williamson scored two. Sophomore T.J. Reeves was hit by a pitch to load the bases once again before another single, this one from Wilson, plated a pair. Robinson followed with one more single, scoring Reeves and forcing a Harvard pitching change. After a walk loaded the bases a third time, Auerbach grounded into a double play, bringing home Wilson for the Tide's seventh run in the inning. (7-0, Alabama)
- B4 | Gentry sent the first pitch he saw through the right side for a single. He then moved into scoring position on an errant throw on a pickoff attempt. The extra 90 feet paid off, as Williamson brought him home on a single up the middle to add one more. (8-0, Alabama)
- B6 | With the bases loaded and one down, Auerbach sent a two-RBI single to left to add to the Tide lead. (10-0, Alabama)
- T7 | Harvard began the inning with a double before the leadoff man moved to third on a flyout. A single through the left side in the next at-bat brought in the Crimson's first run. (10-1, Alabama)
- B7 | An error on Auerbach's grounder to short pushed a run home, as the Tide had the bases loaded with two down in the seventh. A walk to Diodati followed, scoring another run, before a double down the line in left from junior Jackson Tate added two more for UA. (12-1, Alabama)
- T8 | A two-run home run for Harvard cut into the deficit. (14-3, Alabama)
- B8 | Diodati drew his program-high tying fifth walk, once again with the bases loaded, to score one and cap the scoring. (15-3, Alabama)
- Alabama is 10-0 to begin the 2020 campaign which is the best start under head coach Brad Bohannon, surpassing the 2018 squad's 9-0 start to the year. The 10-0 mark is the best start to a season since 2002 when Jim Wells' team began 10-0. The 10-win mark has been reached three times now (also 1998) while the 1988 team won 11 straight and the 1997 squad won 15 consecutive games to start the season – the program's all-time mark.
- Freshman Connor Prielipp worked a career-long 6.0 innings and struck out nine, also a career-best total. Prielipp has improved on his innings and strikeout total in each of his three starts.
- The Crimson Tide set a season-high total for runs with 15. The 15 runs are the most by UA since April 9, 2019 at Samford when Alabama posted 21 runs.
- Alabama tallied 19 hits in the game, the most since the Tide totaled 19 hits in that Samford game last season.
- The Crimson Tide scored seven runs in the third inning of today's game. The seven-run inning is UA's most in a single frame since March 8, 2019, when UA posted seven in the fifth inning of the matchup with Northern Kentucky.
- The six hits in that seventh inning are the most in any frame this season and the most since Alabama had six in that same fifth inning against Northern Kentucky.
- Alabama has now recorded double-digit hits in seven games this season, including six of the seven matchups at Sewell-Thomas Stadium.
- All 13 batters reached base safely at least once on the afternoon.
- Eight of Alabama's nine starters totaled one or more runs.
- Seven of the nine starters for the Crimson Tide posted double-digit hits on the night. Alabama had eight total multi-hit efforts as Jackson Tate came off the bench to go 2-for-4.
- Owen Diodati drew five walks to match the Alabama record for walks in a game. He tied Joe Breaux, who drew five vs. Washington State in game one of a doubleheader on Feb. 23, 2018.
- Kolby Robinson's 3-for-6 day extended his hitting streak to eight games, the longest by any member of the Crimson Tide this season. Across those eight games, Robinson is batting .375 (12-32) with four doubles, six RBI, five runs scored, two hit-by-pitch and a stolen base.
- With his 2-for-3 day, Tyler Gentry extended his hitting streak to five games. Over that stretch, Gentry is batting .733 (11-15) with a double, two home runs, seven RBI, eight runs scored, two walks and two hit-by-pitch.
- ATTENDANCE : 2,874
Alabama will look to secure the series win over Harvard tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. CT. The game will feature a pair of righties as the Crimson Tide will look to sophomore Connor Shamblin in the start while the Crimson counter with Owen Holt, also a sophomore. Fans can catch all the action live on SEC Network+.
-UA-
RTR,
Diamond Tide
