Hunter Webb Delivers 10th-Inning Walk-off RBI Single to Defeat Ole Miss
By Chris Hale
Hunter Webb delivered a walk-off single in the 10th inning to give the No. 30 Alabama baseball team the win over the ninth-ranked Mississippi Rebels, 6-5, Saturday night in a Southeastern Conference tilt at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. After clinching their second SEC series win of the season, Alabama (18-8, 5-3 SEC) will go for the series sweep against Mississippi (21-7, 4-4 SEC) on Sunday, with first pitch set for 1:05 p.m.
“It was another exciting Saturday game,” Alabama head coach Mitch Gaspard said. “Our guys grinded really hard and found a way to win it in the end. We didn’t play great and has some spots where we made some mistakes. At the end of the day we got a couple runs off a good closer in Laxer and found a way to extend the game. Webb got the big hit after coming in the game late, and we had a couple guys that came in that hadn’t played a whole lot that did a great job. Castillo did a good job to keep the game down and Kamplain had a really solid start as well.”
After neither team was able to pull a run across in the ninth, each team scored in the 10th inning. Mississippi got a pinch-hit single from Holt Perdzock and advanced to second on an error. Sikes Orvis delivered a single off Alabama reliever Taylor Guilbeau to put the Rebels up 5-4. Echoing their eighth inning comeback, Mikey White walked and Ben Moore was hit by pitch to set the table in the bottom of the 10th. Kyle Overstreet had a sacrifice bunt then Wade Wass was intentionally walked to load the base. Austen Smith tied the game with a sac fly to first field to set up Webb’s heroics for the walk-off win.
Geoffrey Bramblett (2-0) was the winning pitcher after recording the final two outs in the top of the 10th. Wyatt Short (3-1) suffered his first loss of the season for the Rebels after allowing two runs on one hit and four walks in 2.2 innings of relief.
Alabama starting pitcher Justin Kamplain did not factor into the decision despite his team-leading fourth “quality start” of the season. Kamplain struck out 11 Rebels and allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits and three walks. Ray Castillo threw 2.2 innings, allowing one unearned run on two hits and two walks with two strikeouts. After moving to the bullpen, Castillo has not allowed an earned run in 10.1 innings.
Ole Miss starter Christian Trent got a no-decision as well after allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits with four strikeouts in 6.1 innings.
Overstreet continued his hot hitting for the Tide, as the second baseman from Boaz, Ala., had an RBI double, a bases-loaded walk and a single to extend his hitting streak to 10 games. In addition to his game-tying RBI in the tenth, Smith drove in another on a first-inning double. Wade Wass drove in a run on a sacrifice fly and extended his hitting streak to eight games with a single in the third inning.
Braxton Lee led the Rebels offensively, accounting for two RBI on a two-run single in the seventh. Austin Anderson posted his second multiple-hit game of the series, going 2-for-4 with a single, a double and a walk. Orvis picked up the remaining RBI, as the Rebels manufactured their remaining runs on a wild pitch and a misplayed fly ball.
With two outs in the first inning, Moore set the table with a single up the middle and Overstreet drove a double to straight away center field to plate Moore from first. After an error by Errol Robinson kept the inning alive, Smith doubled to the left center gap to give the Tide an early 2-0 advantage.
Mississippi received the benefit of Alabama miscues to get on the board in the fifth, as Will Jamison reached on a single to shallow left field. Austin Bousfield moved Jamison up to third with a single and a wild pitch brought Jamison home, cutting the Alabama lead to 2-1.
The Rebels took the lead in the seventh behind another two-out rally. After Kamplain had eclipsed 100 pitches, J.B. Woodman stroked a first-pitch single into right before stealing second. After Bousfield walked, a wild pitched moved both runners into scoring position, Braxton Lee singled up the middle to give the Rebels their first lead of the night. With Kamplain lifted in favor of Castillo, a dropped fly ball by Casey Hughston allowed Lee to score to cap the inning with a 4-2 Rebels advantage.
Alabama stormed back in the eighth inning to tie the game. The first four Tide hitters in the inning reached on an error, a single and a walk, with Overstreet’s walk pushing in Salem. Wass followed with a sac fly to center field to drive in White, tying the game at 4-4.
Recap Courtesy of UA Media Relations; Image Courtesy of Coach Mitch Gaspard’s Twitter account