Final Home Midweek for Alabama Brings Samford to The Joe

[Diamond Tide]

The Crimson Tide and Bulldogs will meet for the 115th time in series history and second time this season on Tuesday

4/22/2024

TUSCALOOSA, AL – Alabama baseball will close out its home non-conference schedule for the 2024 regular season on Tuesday when the 18th-ranked Crimson Tide welcomes Samford to Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The midweek matchup is slated for a 6 p.m. CT first pitch on SEC Network+.

Tuesday's game will be the final '$2 Tuesday' at The Joe for the 2024 season. The deal is one of Alabama's season-long promotions, featuring $2 reserved tickets for all fans in attendance. The midweek with UAB will also serve as 'Bark at the Park' night. Fans are encouraged to bring their dogs to Sewell-Thomas Stadium with the first 250 fans receiving an Alabama chew toy at Gate 5, the designated entrance for all fans with their pups.

Follow the Tide
Fans can follow the midweek via the below outlets:
Watch: SEC Network+
Listen: 100.9 FM / CTSN / The Varsity App
Twitter: @AlabamaBSB
Live Stats: RollTide.com

Probable Starting Pitching Matchup
TUESDAY: UA – Kade Snell (R-Jr., LHP) vs. SAM – Noah Berry (So., RHP)

Leading Off

• Alabama and Samford will meet for the 115th time in series history and second time this season when the two in-state programs square off on Tuesday evening at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The Crimson Tide owns a 99-15 overall record against the Bulldogs, including a 77-9 mark at home. The Tide enters Tuesday night riding an eight-game winning streak in the series dating back to the 2019 season.
• The two teams met earlier this season on April 3 in Birmingham, with the Crimson Tide holding off a late surge by the Bulldogs to claim the 11-10 victory.
• Samford's last trip to Tuscaloosa came on April 25 of last season. Alabama claimed a 13-6 victory in that contest.

About Alabama

• Alabama wrapped up the week at 1-3. The Crimson Tide first fell to UAB in the midweek before suffering losses on both ends of a doubleheader against top-ranked Texas A&M on Friday. The Tide rallied on Saturday for a win over the Aggies, setting UA at 3-3 on the season against the nation's top-ranked team.
• The Tide fell to UAB, 5-2, on Tuesday evening at Sewell-Thomas Stadium.
• UAB scored out of the gate, plating a pair in the first. Alabama answered with solo homers from Gage Miller and Justin Lebron to knot it up at 2-2 after one full. Both teams would remain scoreless until the fifth when UAB plated two more before adding an insurance run in the eighth for the 5-2 advantage, the eventual final.
• Alabama fell in both games of a doubleheader with top-ranked Texas A&M on Friday in Tuscaloosa.
• The Crimson Tide jumped out to an early 5-0 lead in game one, but A&M responded with 10 unanswered runs to secure a 10-5 victory.
• In game two of the doubleheader, Texas A&M scored in five of the nine innings, including an eight-run second, to clinch the series with an 18-9 win. The Tide battled all game in the nightcap, plating four in the second, three in the fifth and two in the eighth while reaching runners in eight of the nine innings but could not overcome the early deficit.
• The Crimson Tide earned a 10-9 win over A&M on Saturday in a series finale that saw one tie and three lead changes.
• Alabama jumped out to an early lead with five runs in the second. The Aggies plated two in the top of the third with UA countering for one in the home half. A&M added three in the fourth with the Tide crossing one in the fifth to make it a 7-5 ballgame in favor of UA headed to the sixth.
• The sixth saw the Aggies take their first lead of the day with three runs, but the lead would not last long as Alabama scored one in the sixth to make it 8-8 after six full.
• In the seventh, Texas A&M plated one to gain the advantage once again, but a two-run home half put the Crimson Tide in front, 10-9 – where things would stay the rest of the way. The Tide's two runs came across thanks to a bases-loaded one-out single from Bryce Eblin.
• The Aggies were held scoreless over the final two frames thanks to a standout effort from Alton Davis II. The sophomore picked up the win after working 3.1 innings and allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits and three walks with three punchouts. His biggest moment came in the ninth when he stranded a pair in scoring position thanks to two flyouts and a strikeout looking.
• UA's offense was led once again by Mac Guscette, who finished 2-for-3 with a grand slam, five RBI and one run scored. Eblin contributed the two key RBI as part of his 2-for-4 day that included a run scored, while Kade Snell led in hits with a 5-for-5 showing that was highlighted by a solo homer and three runs scored.

About Samford

• A long-time assistant at Samford, Tony David began his third season as head coach of the Bulldogs in 2024. He opened the new season with a record of 65-54 across his two years leading SU. A 1995 graduate of South Alabama, David's staff includes associate head coach Tyler Shrout along with assistants Cam Shepherd and Gil Walker.
• Samford finished the 2023 campaign at 37-25, including a 15-6 conference record. The Bulldogs won the Southern Conference Tournament and earned a spot in the NCAA Auburn Regional. The Bulldogs season came to a close after losses to Penn and Southern Miss down on the Plains.
• The Bulldogs were selected to win the SoCON in the league's preseason poll, as voted on by the conference's head coaches. Samford collected 49 points overall and received all seven available first-place votes.

On Deck
Alabama will have a quick turnaround following Tuesday's matchup as the Tide heads to Oxford for a three-game series with Ole Miss from Thursday through Saturday. The first two games are slated for a 6:30 p.m. first pitch with the finale on Saturday scheduled for 2 p.m. Game two will stream on SEC Network+ with the first and last matchups receiving national attention. Thursday's contest will be broadcast on ESPNU while Saturday's getaway day pairing will be televised on SEC Network.


-UA-


RTR,

Diamond Tide