Four-Game Homestand for Alabama Starts with UAB on Tuesday

[Diamond Tide]

The Crimson Tide and Blazers will meet for the 82nd time in series history on Tuesday evening

4/18/2022

TUSCALOOSA, AL – Alabama baseball returns to Sewell-Thomas Stadium to begin a four-game homestand on Tuesday when the Crimson Tide hosts UAB. First pitch of the midweek matchup is set for 6 p.m. CT with the in-state contest airing live on SEC Network+.

The Tuesday midweek with UAB will continue the Crimson Tide's '$2 Tuesday' promotion sponsored by Zeigler Meats. The deal is one of Alabama's season-long promotions at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. Tuesday's contest will feature $2 reserved tickets for all fans. Once inside The Joe, those in attendance can take advantage of $2 hot dogs at all concession stands.

Follow the Tide
Fans can follow the midweek game 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 – Ben Hess (Fr., RHP) vs. UAB – Leo Harris (So., RHP)

Leading Off

• Alabama and UAB will meet for the 82nd time in series history and second time this season when the two teams square off on Tuesday evening at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The Crimson Tide owns the all-time advantage in the series, 55-26, including a 30-9 mark at home.
• The two teams met earlier this season on March 23 in Birmingham at Regions Field. The Blazers came away with a 5-4 win in that game, scoring single tallies in the seventh and eighth innings to secure the midweek victory
• Alabama will look to Ben Hess for his seventh start of the season. The freshman right-hander owns a 1-1 record to go with a 4.11 ERA (7 ER/15.1 IP).
• UAB will send sophomore righty Leo Harris to the hill on Tuesday. Harris will be appearing in his eighth game of the season and making his third start. He also owns a 1-1 record and maintains a 4.91 ERA (8 ER/14.2 IP).

About Alabama

• Alabama wrapped up last week at 2-2 and overall. The Crimson Tide first downed Belmont on Tuesday in Tuscaloosa before traveling to Knoxville for a weekend set with the top-ranked Tennessee Volunteers. The Tide earned the series-opening win on Friday to break the Vols' 12-game winning streak in conference play and finished the weekend at 1-2.
• The Crimson Tide leaned on the pitching staff last Tuesday for a 3-1 win over Belmont at Sewell-Thomas Stadium.
• Ben Hess recorded his best start to date, totaling 4.0 scoreless innings with one hit and two walks to go with a season-high seven strikeouts for his first career win.
• Hess gave way to the Tide bullpen for the final 5.0 innings with a foursome of arms combining to allow one run while striking out four. The relief group was highlighted by Braylon Myers, who picked up his first save with a scoreless ninth that included two strikeouts.
• Alabama's offense was led by Jim Jarvis and Zane Denton, with the juniors contributing a pair of two-hit days. Both infielders finished 2-for-3 with Jarvis tallying an RBI and one run while Denton recorded a pair of RBI and one walk.
• The Crimson Tide knocked off No. 1 Tennessee, 6-3, on Friday evening at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
• Tennessee plated two runs on four hits in the first inning. The Tide answered with a solo home run from Owen Diodati in the top of the second followed by a solo shot from Jarvis in the third to even things up at two apiece. The lead became UA's an inning later when Alabama posted three runs in the top of the fourth, highlighted by the go-ahead solo home run from Diodati, his second of the night.
• Alabama would not trail the rest of the evening. The Vols cut the lead to two with a solo homer in the sixth before both teams went scoreless until the ninth. That final inning saw Alabama add an insurance run on a two-out RBI-triple from Drew Williamson to make it a 6-3 ballgame, the eventual final.
• Garrett McMillan settled in after a shaky first to pick up his fourth win of the season. The junior gave up two runs in that opening stanza but locked in to allow just three hits and one run over his final 4.1 innings. McMillan's line featured three runs on seven hits and four walks with five strikeouts across 5.1 frames.
• Three Tide relievers combined for the final 3.2 scoreless innings, holding the Vols to two hits and a walk while striking out three. The relief effort was highlighted by Dylan Ray, who worked the final 1.2 frames to earn his fourth save.
• Alabama's offensive effort was led by Diodati with the junior finishing 2-for-4 with two home runs, two RBI and a pair of runs. The Tide's 1-through-3 hitters also contributed two-hit efforts, as Williamson went 2-for-4 with two RBI from the two-hole, while Jarvis and Denton each recorded a 2-for-5 night from the No. 1 and No. 3 spots, respectively.
• UA suffered a 9-2 loss to Tennessee on Saturday. The two teams combined for four homers, leading to six of the 11 total runs on the night.
• The Volunteers used a two-run home run in the first and a solo shot in the third to build a 3-0 lead early. Alabama countered with a two-run homer from Denton in the sixth to make it a one-run affair, but Tennessee came right back with a pair of solo home runs and used a throwing error to score three in the home half to put the game out of reach. Tennessee would add three more in the eighth for the 9-2 final.
• Jacob McNairy suffered his first loss of the season despite another solid start. The senior tossed 5.0 innings, allowing three runs on four hits and three walks with two strikeouts.
• The Tide fell in the series finale against the Vols, 15-4, on Sunday.
• UA got on the board with a homer from Williamson in the top of the first. Tennessee answered with four runs in the second before a solo shot from Jarvis in the third made it a 4-2 game. The Volunteers added three in the fourth and one in the fifth, with a Denton homer in the top of the sixth bringing in a run for UA.
• Tennessee then tacked on three more in the bottom of the sixth and four in the eighth. Alabama was able to cross one in the ninth but that was all for the 15-4 final.

About UAB

• Casey Dunn is now in his 18th season overall and first season at helm of the UAB program. Dunn, who finished as Samford's all-time winningest coach, owned a 541-426 mark across 17 seasons with the Bulldogs. A 1999 graduate of Auburn, Dunn is joined on staff by associate head coach B.J. Green, assistant coach Alan Kunkel and volunteer assistant Frankie Navarrete.
• UAB finished the 2021 campaign at 18-36 overall, including an 11-21 mark in Conference USA play.
• The Blazers were selected to finish 11th overall in Conference USA's preseason poll, as voted on by the league head coaches.

On Deck
Alabama welcomes the 10th-ranked Georgia Bulldogs to The Joe for a three-game series from Friday through Sunday. Game one is set for a 6 p.m. first pitch followed by a 2 p.m. start in game two with both contests airing on SEC Network+. Sunday's series finale is scheduled for 1 p.m. in front of a national audience on ESPN2.


-UA-


RTR,

Diamond Tide

 

[Blindside17]

If this team ends up being a bubble regional team which is very possible and don't get in ,we can look at all these middle of the week losses for the reason

 

[edwd58]

I saw somewhere today, that D1baseball and Baseball America (I think it was them), both have us as a 3 seed in the Hattiesburg regional. I could be okay with that, at least we'd be in the tourney.