The Aggies had a pair in scoring position in the ninth, but a pair of popups and a strikeout ended it
4/20/2024
TUSCALOOSA, AL – Alabama baseball claimed a 10-9 win over top-ranked Texas A&M on Saturday at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. With the victory, the Crimson Tide is 25-15 on the season and 7-11 in Southeastern Conference play.
Saturday's series finale saw one tie and three lead changes over the course of the game. 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 – the eventual final. The Tide's two runs came across thanks to a bases-loaded one-out single from Bryce Eblin.
Texas A&M was held scoreless over the final two frames thanks to a standout effort from Alton Davis II (4-1). The sophomore earned the win after working the final 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.
Alabama'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.
From Head Coach Rob Vaughn
"There are plenty of things that we could have done better, but all I wanted to see from these guys was energy, toughness and focus – that was something we talked about that in our team meeting today. There was no question that they brought that out here. Whether we won or lost that game, there was no question about the energy we brought. This was a heck of an effort. I'm proud of this group, proud of their toughness and proud of how they responded after a long day yesterday. It was just a heck of a team win for us."
How It Happened
Get all the latest information on the team by following @AlabmaBSB on X/Twitter and Instagram and on Facebook at Alabama Baseball. General athletic news can be found at UA_Athletics on X/Twitter and Instagram and AlabamaAthletics on Facebook.
-UA-
RTR,
Diamond Tide
4/20/2024
TUSCALOOSA, AL – Alabama baseball claimed a 10-9 win over top-ranked Texas A&M on Saturday at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. With the victory, the Crimson Tide is 25-15 on the season and 7-11 in Southeastern Conference play.
Saturday's series finale saw one tie and three lead changes over the course of the game. 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 – the eventual final. The Tide's two runs came across thanks to a bases-loaded one-out single from Bryce Eblin.
Texas A&M was held scoreless over the final two frames thanks to a standout effort from Alton Davis II (4-1). The sophomore earned the win after working the final 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.
Alabama'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.
From Head Coach Rob Vaughn
"There are plenty of things that we could have done better, but all I wanted to see from these guys was energy, toughness and focus – that was something we talked about that in our team meeting today. There was no question that they brought that out here. Whether we won or lost that game, there was no question about the energy we brought. This was a heck of an effort. I'm proud of this group, proud of their toughness and proud of how they responded after a long day yesterday. It was just a heck of a team win for us."
How It Happened
- B2 | The Tide loaded the bases to start the second thanks to a Will Hodo leadoff walk and back-to-back singles from TJ McCantsand Kade Snell. Mac Guscette then came to the plate with one down, blasting his second grand slam of the weekend over the wall in left. Bryce Eblin and Gage Miller followed with singles to put men on the corners before an Ian Petrutz sacrifice fly added one more. (5-0, Alabama)
- T3 | A one-out double and a walk put two aboard before a single and a sac fly scored both Aggies. (5-2, Alabama)
- B3 | McCants led off with a single and advanced to third on singles from Snell and Evan Sleight in the next two at-bats. A sac fly from Guscette then scored McCants. (6-2, Alabama)
- T4 | The Aggies plated three with a bases-loaded double to right-center. (6-5, Alabama)
- B5 | Snell hit a solo homer off the foul pole in right. (7-5, Alabama)
- T6 | A leadoff single came around to score on a triple to center. After a strikeout in the next at-bat, Jace LaViolette hit a two-run home run to right. (8-7, Texas A&M)
- B6 | With one away in the inning, Miller lifted a solo home run to left. (8-8)
- T7 | A pair of Tide errors and a sacrifice fly allowed A&M to retake the lead. (9-8, Texas A&M)
- B7 | With the bases loaded and one down, Eblin roped a single to center to score a pair. (10-9, Alabama)
- Alabama is now 3-3 against the nation's top-ranked team in 2024.
- Alton Davis II worked a career-high 3.1 innings of relief. His previous high was 3.0 frames on April 23 of last season at Missouri.
- The 75 pitches by Davis II are also a career-high total. The sophomore's previous high was 50 at UAB on Feb. 27 of this season.
- All nine of the starters reached base safely on Saturday, with seven of the nine picking up at least one hit.
- The Crimson Tide has homered in 28 contests for the season, including 21 games with two-or-more roundtrippers.
- The Tide hitters recorded eight home runs over the weekend series, including three on Saturday.
- Alabama's offense has registered double-digit hits in 26 of the team's 40 games played this season.
- The 16 hits on Saturday were the most against an SEC opponent this season and highest output versus a conference foe since March 31 of last year when the Tide had 22 hits at Arkansas.
- Mac Guscette is the first player to hit a grand slam in back-to-back games since March 4-5 of last season when Colby Sheltonregistered grand slams in consecutive contests against UIC.
- Kade Snell's five-hit performance is the first by a Tide hitter since Andrew Pinckney finished 5-for-5 on April 28 of last season at top-ranked LSU.
- With his 3-for-5 day, TJ McCants has recorded a hit in six consecutive games. Over that stretch, the senior is batting .481 (13-27) with two doubles, three RBI, five runs scored and one stolen base.
- ATTENDANCE : 3,995
Get all the latest information on the team by following @AlabmaBSB on X/Twitter and Instagram and on Facebook at Alabama Baseball. General athletic news can be found at UA_Athletics on X/Twitter and Instagram and AlabamaAthletics on Facebook.
-UA-
RTR,
Diamond Tide
