Baseball: Tide Takes The Opening Weekend Series From Saint Louis

Recap from UA Media Relations

For the second straight game, the No. 21 Alabama baseball team got late game heroics as the Crimson Tide scored seven times in the seventh inning to emerge victorious in the rubber game of the series against the Saint Louis Billikens, 9-3, on Sunday from Sewell-Thomas Stadium.

“The key to the game was Jon Keller coming out of the pen,” Alabama head coach Mitch Gaspard said. “He did a great job and really settled things down and gave our offense an opportunity. Offensively, Vincent had a big hit for us and opened it up a little bit which helped us in that inning.”

With the score tied 2-2 heading to the bottom of the seventh inning, Alabama scored seven times in the inning to break the game open. The eventual game-winning run came across on a two-run double by Chance Vincent that scored Austen Smith and Will Haynie. Smith and Haynie reached when they were both hit by a pitch and advanced 90 feet on a passed ball when Vincent was trying to move the runners over. Vincent then delivered the go-ahead RBI with a two-run double to left center field off Zach Girrens.

After the Vincent double, Hunter Webb was hit by a pitch and Georgie Salem walked to load the bases. A walk by Mikey White, singles from Ben Moore and Kyle Overstreet and a sacrifice fly from Smith, gave the Tide a commanding 9-2 lead.

Alabama’s seven run explosion is the most they have produced in an inning since they did it in back-to-back games against Tennessee and Samford on March 17 and 19, respectively, last season.

Junior south paw Jon Keller (1-0) secured the win for Alabama with four innings of scoreless pitching, giving up one hit and retiring the last nine batters he faced. He relieved right-hander Ray Castillo, who gave up two runs in his first collegiate start at the Capstone. Castillo lasted three innings, allowing two hits with a strikeout and three walks.

Girrens (0-1) took the loss for Saint Louis after allowing four of the Tide’s runs in their big seventh inning. Girrens lasted one inning, giving up a hit and hitting four of the eight batters he faced.

“Overall, offensively we are not where we want to be,” Gaspard said. “We have to make some corrections and adjustments throughout the week. They pitched us away all weekend and we have to do a better job with executing the ball away offensively. Overall, Saint Louis is a really good club. They battled hard and you can see why they were a regional team and projected to win their league. Overall, this weekend we got better, but there is certainly plenty we can improve on here in the next couple of weeks.

The Tide’s first two runs came in the second inning. After Moore and Wade Wass walked to open the inning, a Kyle Overstreet sacrifice bunt to set up Smith’s two-run single to center. The Billikens responded in their next opportunity, loading the bases in the top of the third before getting a single from Braxton Martinez to tie the game at two apiece.

Smith was 1-for-2 and led the Tide offense with three RBI and Overstreet’s lone hit came in the seventh inning to drive in two. Moore was 1-for-2 with an RBI and two runs scored and Wass also scored twice for the Tide. In his first collegiate start, freshman left fielder Hunter Webb recorded a single, was hit by a pitch and scored a run in the seventh.

Alabama righties Jay Shaw and Jake Hubbard combined for the final two innings with a ninth-inning throwing error setting up the Billikens’ only other run of the game, a Danny Brennan sacrifice fly.

The Crimson Tide continues their 2014 campaign next weekend at Sewell-Thomas Stadium with a three game series against the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks. First pitch is set for 6:05 p.m. on Friday, 2:05 p.m. on Saturday, and 1:05 p.m. on Sunday.