How Sweep It Is, Alabama Takes Down Vanderbilt

Bama missed out on a golden opportunity in the bottom half of the fifth. Johnny Lemm led off with a double and went to third on a single by Jason Torres. Fennell was standing behind the rubber when third baseman Brodie Johnston faked a throw to Fennell. Lemm proceeded to take his lead and was tagged out by Johnston with a perfectly executed hidden ball trick. Vaughn then struck out for out two before Steele lined a single for the Tide’s third hit of the inning. Brennan Holt flew out to end the threat without the Tide plating a run.

Fay retired the first two batters in the 6th before Rustin Rigdon blasted a solo home run for a 4-1 Vandy lead. Fay struck out Goodin to end the inning. The Tide got back in the game in the bottom half. Brady Neal, lined a one out single, at which point Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin chose to replace Fennell , much to the dismay of the hurler. Jacob Shulz faced one batter, Bryce Fowler, and walked him on four pitches. Luke Guth replaced Shulz and Guth’s first pitch was blasted into the visitors bullpen by Alabama’s freshman slugger Eric Hines for a three run home run to tie the game up. Fennell continued to show his displeasure with his Hall Of Fame coaches decision to replace him.

With the game now tied, Fay returned to start the 7th inning. With one out Fay hit Waite with a pitch and was lifted in favor of Matthew Heiberger. Heiberger induced a fly out and pop out to end the inning. Bama could only manage a walk to Holt in their half of the seventh. Heirberger issued a one out walk in the top of the 8th, but a double play turned by LeBron ended the inning. The Tide wend down in order with two strikeouts in the last half of the eighth, facing Tyler Baird. Heiberger kept mowing down the Commodores with two fly outs and a nifty play behind the second base bag by LeBron to end the top of the ninth. Baird was back out in the 9th and faced only one batter. Lemm drove a 1-2 pitch over the center field fence for a walk-off home run, erasing his base running blunder from earlier. The long ball gave Bama the 5-4 win to set the tone for the weekend.

Alabama hit 7-30 in the game with two walks, one hit batter, two home runs, one double, one triple, a stolen base. 12 strikeouts, and stranded four on base. Lemm led the way with a 2-4 night with a double, home run. RBI, and run scored. Hines finished 1-4 with a home run, three RBI, and a run scored. Fay pitched 6.1 innings, allowing eight hits, one walk, seven strikeouts, and four runs. Heiberger was the winner, going 2.2 innings allowing only one hit and one walk. Heiberger improved to 3-2 with the win.

Vanderbilt hit 9-34 with two walks, one hit batter, three home runs, two stolen bases, and left six on base. Waite and Rigdon had two hits apiece. Baird fell to 0-4 on the season with the loss.

Game Two- Won 5-0

Junior left hander Zane Adams started for the Tide against Vanderbilt freshman left hander Aiden Stillman. The game was moved from an 6 p.m. start to 12:3o because of the threat of rain. Adams allowed a two out ground ball single to Brodie Johnston in the first, but ended the inning with a strikeout of Commodore Braden Holcomb. Alabama used a two out rally in the bottom of the first, to score all the runs they would need. Bryce Fowler lined a single to left and trotted home on a long blast into the visitors bullpen by freshman slugger Eric Hines. The Tuscaloosa native, and ACA grad, deposited his second home run of the series for a quick 2-0 lead. Johnny Lemm, the hero of Thursday’s win, followed with a long blast into the right field plaza. A strikeout ended the inning with the Tide on top 3-0.

Adams worked around trouble in the second, with Vandy loading the bases with two singles and a walk. Adams struck out three to strand the bases loaded. Bama went down in order with two strikeouts in the bottom half. Adams allowed two more soft singles in the 3rd, but a fly out and two strikeouts kept the Commodores off the board. The Tide finishing the scoring for the game in the bottom half.

Justin LeBron led off the bottom of the 3rd with a triple in the left-center gap. Brady Neal walked to put runners on the corners. After a strikeout by Fowler, Hines ripped a single to score LeBron. A walk to Lemm followed and Jason Torres earned an RBI when his walk brought Neal home. With the bases loaded Luke Vaughn hit into a double play to stop the Tide from scoring anymore runs.

Adams continued to work in and out of trouble, stranding two runners in both the 4th and 5th innings. Brennan Seiber replaced Stillman with one out in the third and only allowed three hits with one walk the rest of the game. Adams ended his day with a perfect 6th inning, allowing no runs on eight hits with one walk, six strikeouts, and eight men left on base. Of the eight hits Adams allowed only a couple were hard hit balls.

Ashton Crowther took over for Bama in the 7th and allowed only two base runners on a single to the first hitter he faced and on a lead off error in the 9th frame. Crowther struck out two with no walks to earn the three inning save.

Alabama hit 8-29 in the game with three walks, a double, a triple, two home runs, with seven strikeouts, and three men left on base. Hines finished 2-4 with a home run, three RBI, and a run scored. LeBron was 2-4 with a triple, a run scored, and was caught stealing for the first time this season, and only the second time in his three year career. Fowler was 2-4 with a double and run scored. Lemm added a walk to his home run during his 1-3 game. Adams improved to 5-3 with the win and Crowther earned his second save of the season.

Vanderbilt finished 9-36 at the plate with one walk, eight strikeouts, and 11 men left on base. Stillman fell to 2-2 with the loss. Logan Johnston was 3-4 while Brodie Johnston and Rustin Rigdon had two hits apiece.

With the series secured, the Tide looked to complete their third sweep of the season in Saturday’s final game. Previously Bama had swept Florida and Auburn at home.

Game Three- Won 8-5

Freshman right hander Myles Upchurch started for Alabama against fellow freshman right hander Wyatt Nadeau for Vanderbilt. Upchurch had a perfect first with a groundout, pop out, and strikeout, before the Tide took over in the bottom half. Justin LeBron lined a one out single, followed by a pop single to short centerfield by Brady Neal. Bryce Fowler doubled to plate LeBron and chase Neal to third base. Eric Hines hit a ground ball to shortstop to score Neal, and Fowler was thrown out trying to reach third base. Johnny Lemm reached on a walk and on a 0-2 pitch Jason Torres lined a three run home run over the left field wall for a quick 5-0 Bama lead.

Braden Holcomb singled for Vanderbilt leading off the 2nd inning and stole second base. After a fly out and strikeout Rustan Rigdon was hit by a pitch. Commodore DH Colin Barczi then launched a home run to right field to cut the Alabama lead to 5-3. Upchurch hit the next batter, but a ground out ended the inning.

The Tide got two base runners in the second on a single by Peyton Steele and a hit by pitch to LeBron. Steele was cut down when he tried to reach third on a short passed ball, and Bama was held off the board. Mike Mancini walked to lead off the Vandy 3rd, stole second, and scored on a Holcomb single. Holcomb also stole second but was stranded after a fly out and strikeout, holding the score at 5-4 in Alabama’s favor. Bama went down in order in the bottom of the inning.

Upchurch worked around a two out single and walk to toss a scoreless fourth. Nadeau walked Torres and Andrew Purdy leading off the bottom of the 4th and was then replaced by Tyler Baird. Steele drove a 3-2 pitch deep to centerfield that Rigdon made a great play on to rob an extra base hit. Brennan Holt then lined a double into right field to score Torres and send Purdy to third base. LeBron drove in a Purdy on a ground out. When the inning was over Bama held a 7-4 lead.

Upchurch had a quick three up three down inning in the fifth. Alabama went down in order in the bottom half. Upchurch was back for the 6th and walked the first batter. After a pop out to Neal at catcher, Matthew Heiberger was brought in to replace Upchurch. It took Heiberger two pitches to induce a double play grounder to Holt at second base who flipped to LeBron at second and then on to first for the twin killing.

Purdy walked with one out in the bottom of the 6th, but Baird struck out the side to hold the score at 7-4. Korbin Reynolds led off the top of the 7th for Vandy with a double, went to third on a passed ball, and scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Ryker Waite. Heirberger then struck out the next man and ended the inning after a ground ball back to the mound.

Alabama loaded the bases in the bottom of the 7th and could not score. LeBron was hit by a pitch for the second time in the game, and then stole second base. Neal drew a walk, and Fowler reached on catchers interference. Hines then struck out, Lemm flied out to short left field and Torres lined out to centerfield to end the scoring threat.

Heirberger survived two singles in the top of the 8th with a strikeout, fly out, and ground out. The Tide got a two out home run from Holt in the bottom half to make the score 8-5 entering the ninth. Hagan Banks was called on and allowed only a two out single to Mancini before ending the game with a fly ball to Fowler in deep centerfield, securing the 8-5 win and first sweep for the Tide over the Commodores since 2009.

Bama hit 7-29 in the game with two home runs, two doubles, five walks, two hit batters, a stolen base, six strikeouts, and left six on base. Holt was 2-4 with a double, home run, sac bunt, two RBI, and a run scored. Torres was 1-3 with a walk, home run, three RBI, and a run scored as well as making several highlight defensive plays at third base. LeBron finished 1-3 with two hit by pitches, a run, an RBI, and his 36th stolen base of the year. Fowler was 1-3 with a double and run driven in. Upchurch earned the win to improve to 6-3 in his rookie campaign. Banks earned his 6th save of the year.

Vanderbilt finished 8-33 at the plate with three walks, two hit batters, six strikeouts, and seven men left on base. Holcomb led the team with three hits. Nadeau fell to 1-3 with the loss.

Alabama was 22-88 at the plate in the series for a .250 batting average. The Tide walked 10 times, were hit three times, struck out 25 times, and left 13 men on base. Bama slugged six home runs, four doubles, two triples, stole two bases, and committed two errors over the weekend. Vanderbilt finished 26-103 hitting for a .252 average, walked only seven times, were hit by three pitches, struck out 21 times, and stranded 24 runners.

This was a great weekend for the Tide in a must win situation in regards to trying to earn a host spot in the NCAA Tournament. The sweep will go a long way to reaching that goal with only two series and seven games left in the regular season. Bama travels to Troy on Tuesday to take on the Trojans, then to Columbia, South Carolina to play the Gamecocks in a three game series on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, before wrapping up the regular season by hosting Ole Miss for three games. At 13-11 in the SEC, a 4-2 conference finish would almost certainly clinch a host spot with 17 SEC wins. Even a 3-3 finish, for 16-14 should do it given Alabama’s RPI and strength of schedule. But we have been down this road before and know better to leave it in the hands of the committee.

Who did what?
*Jason Torres 3-8, home run (6), 4 RBI, two walks, run

*Johnny Lemm 3-10, 2 home runs (8), double, 2 RBI, 3 runs, 2 walks

*Eric Hines 3-12, 2 home runs (6), 7 RBI, 3 runs

*Justin LeBron 3-10, 2 runs, 3 hit by pitch, triple, 2 runs, 2 stolen bases- now 60-62 on steals in his career, joined the 60-40 club with 42 home runs to go with the 60 bags

*Brennan Holt 2-10, home run (2), double, walk, run, sac bunt, 2 RBI

*Zane Adams W (5-3) 6 IP, 8 hits, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts, 0 runs

*Ashton Crowther Save (2) 3 IP, 1 hit, 0 walks, 2 strikeouts, 0 runs

*Matthew Heiberger W (3-2) 2 appearances, 5.2 IP, 4 hits, 1 walks, 2 strikeouts, 1 run, 0 earned runs

*Myles Upchurch W (6-3), 5.1 IP, 4 hits, 3 walks, 2 hit batters, 3 strikeouts, 4 runs

*Hagan Banks Save (6) 1 IP, 1 hit, 1 strikeout, 0 walks, 0 runs

Roll Tide

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