The Crimson Tide baseball team improved to 7-1 on the young season with a three game sweep of the Rhode Island Rams this weekend. The series was truncated to a Friday single game and a double header on Saturday because of expected inclement weather in Rhode Island on Sunday and Monday. The Alabama staff agreed to play two on Saturday to allow the Rams to leave early Sunday morning to reach home safely. Bama won the games 19-4, 8-5, and 11-1. Rhode Island fell to 0-7 with the losses.
Game One- Won
19-4 in 7 innings
Tyler Fay of the Tide faced off with Joe Sabbath of the Rams in the series first contest on Friday. Fay walked one and struck out two in the top of the first. After a slow offensive week where the Tide won games 3-2 and 2-1 over Samford and Alabama State, coach Rob Vaughn pushed his team to have a fast start in this weekend. And the Tide did. Bryce Fowler led off with a walk and Justin LeBron followed with this third home run of the season, a towering 420 foot blast over the batters eye at 108 miles an hour. Brady Neal followed with a double and scored on a single by freshman Andrew Purdy.
Fay hit one and struck out one in the top of the second. The Tide put the game away in the bottom half of the inning. Peyton Steele led off with a single and advanced to third on a double by Brennan Holt. Fowler singled in a run and a walk to LeBron loaded the bases. Neal hit a sacrifice fly to left field to score a run, and also reached base when the fielder dropped the ball. Jason Torres ripped a double in the gap to clear the bases. Purdy reached on an error before Luke Vaughn brought in another run with a sacrifice fly to centerfield. Justin Osterhouse then blasted a home run in to the visitors bullpen for his first hit as a member of the Tide. Steele singled again followed by a Holt walk, but Fowler and LeBron were both retired to end the inning after eight runs on six hits, two walks, two sacrifice flys, and a pair of errors.
Fay had a perfect third and the Tide added more in the bottom half. Neal sent his first home run of the season, a blast over the batters eye that measured over 420 feet. Osterhouse later singled Purdy in, who had reached on a hit by pitch. After three innings the score was 13-0. Fay walked a man and hit two in the top of the fourth, but wiggled out of the jam without the Rams scoring. Bama added one in the fourth. Fowler led off with a walk and advanced in a LeBron single. Neal had an infield single to load the bases and a ground out by Torres brought home a run. Purdy lined into a double play to end the frame.
The Rams finally got on the board in the top of the fifth. Adonis Medina led off with a single. Scott Penney reached on a fielders choice were both runners were safe, before RI shortstop Reece Moroney blasted a home run to center to plate three runs. Fay recovered to end the inning with a strikeout and double play, and left after five innings, with a 14-3 lead.
Bama piled on the bottom of the fifth with five more runs. Vaughn was hit by a pitch, pinch hitter Eric Hines walked, pinch hitter Evan Taylor walked, then Holt drove in two runs with a single. With one out LeBron ripped his second home run of the game for three more runs and a 19-3 lead. Left hander Connor Lehman took over for Fay in the 6th and allowed a single but struck out the side. The Tide went down in order in the bottom half. Owen Sarna made his Tide debut in the 7th and allowed one run on two hits before shutting the door, giving Bama the 19-4 run rule victory.
Alabama hit 15-39 in the game with six walks, four hit batters, three doubles, four home runs, six strikeouts, and left seven men on base. LeBron was 3-4 with two home runs, five RBI, three runs, and a walk. Neal hit 3-3 with a home run, sac fly, three runs, and two RBI. Osterhouse finished 2-4 with a home run, walk, two runs, and three RBI. Holt was 2-3 with a double, a walk, two runs, and two runs driven in. Torres drove in four runs on a 1-4 day with a double and ground out. Fay was the winner and moved to 1-1 on the year. The big right handed pitched five innings allowing three hits, three runs, with two walks and five strikeouts. Rhode Island finished 6-27 with two walks, eight strikeouts, and five men left on base.
Game Two- Won 8-5
The series second game, and the first game Saturday, was a 2 p.m. first pitch with Alabama left handed Zane Adams against Rhode Island right handed Connor Johnston. Adams was coming off a scoreless, walk free, nine strikeout performance on opening weekend.
Over the first two innings Adams allowed two singles while striking out three. The Tide took the lead in the bottom of the second. Bama catcher Johnny Lemm lined a one out single and advanced to third on a double by Luke Vaughn. The Aussie catcher scored on a sacrifice fly by Justin Osterhouse. Rhode Island bounced back and took their first lead of the series in the top of the third. Freshman catcher Jayden Tolentino, in only his third at bat of the season, blasted a lead off home run over the left center field fence to tie the game. Two singles and a sacrifice fly later the Rams had grabbed a 2-1 lead. From the antics of their dugout you would have thought they just won the World Series. Adams had perfect frames in the 3rd and 4th with a pair of strikeouts. The Tide retook the lead in the bottom of the 4th inning. Lemm was hit by a pitch with one out and scored when Luke Vaughn hit a screaming line drive over the left field for a two run home run. Osterhouse followed with a single and stole second base. Peyton Steele singled to put runners in the corners, facilitating a pitching change for the Rams. Parker Aikens hit the first batter he faced, Brennan Holt, then allowed a two run single to Bryce Fowler. Justin LeBron walked to reload the bases before a strikeout ended the inning with Bama ahead 5-2. The Tide added another run in the bottom of the sixth. Lemm singled and swiped second base. Vaughn walked, and both moved up on a groundout by Osterhouse. Steele brought Lemm home with a sacrifice fly to deep centerfield. Adams was back out for the sixth and had another perfect innings, giving him 11 straight batters retired. Bama did not score in the bottom half.
Right handed Sam Mitchell replaced Adams to start the seventh. Mitchell retired the first batter he faced before running into trouble. The next two batters singled to bring Toletino to the plate. The Ram backstop absolutely laced a line shot, three run home run, to cut the Bama lead to 6-5. Mitchell struck out the next batter for out two and then was replaced by left handed Evan Steckmesser. The Samford transfer struck out Scott Penney to end the inning.
Lemm got one of the runs back for the Tide leading off the bottom of the seventh. The “‘Thunder from Down Under” hit his first home run in Crimson over the centerfield fence. Steckmesser controlled the Rams in the top of the 8th with two groundouts and a strikeout. Bama added one more insurance run in the bottom half. Holt walked and was replaced by JoJo Williamson as a pinch runner. Fowler singled to put runners on first and second. LeBron grounded to shortstop and beat out the try for a double play. With runners on first and third Brady Neal put down a perfect squeeze bunt to score Williamson with the games last run. Steckmesser made quick work of the Rams in the top of the 9th on two groundouts and a game ending strikeout, securing the Tides 8-5 victory.
Alabama hit 10-31 in the game with four walks, two hit batters, seven strikeouts, two home runs, and left eight men on base. Lemm led the charge with a 3-3 game with a hit by pitch, four runs scored, a home run, and a run driven in. Vaughn finished 2-3 with a home run, a double, a walk, a run, and a run driven in. Fowler hit 2-6 with two runs driven in. Adams was the winner and improved to 2-0 on the season. In 11 innings of work over two starts the junior has stuck out 15 with out walking anyone. Steckmesser earned his first save with 2.1 perfect innings with three strikeouts. The Rams hit 8-35 with five walks, two home runs, 10 strikeouts, and left three men on base. The series final game was coming up thirty minutes later.
Game Three- Won 11-1 in 8 innings
Freshman star Myles Upchurch made the second start of his career in the series finale. Rhode Island sophomore right hander Jake Cullen was the opposing hurler. Upchurch hurled four scoreless innings with nine strikeouts in his debut last week. Upchurch had a quick perfect inning in the first. In the bottom of the first, Tide superstar shortstop Justin LeBron blasted his fifth home run of the young season for an early 1-o lead. Brady Neal followed with a bunt single and eventually scored on a bases loaded walk to Justin Osterhouse.
Upchurch struck out the first two batters in the second before walking a man and allowing a single to Jayson Tolentino. Neal, at catcher for the Tide, picked Tolentino off of first base to end the inning. The Tide threatened in the second when Bryce Fowler has hit by a pitch and stole second. LeBron was hit by a pitch to put two on with one out. A strikeout and ground out ended the frame. Upchurch allowed a lead off single in the third, but Fowler made a diving catch in centerfield and doubled up the runner at first before a strikeout ended the frame.
The Tide added a run in the bottom of the third. Johnny Lemm led off with a walk, advanced on a wild pitch, and scored on a throwing error by third baseman Brian Connolly. Upchurch pitched through the fifth inning, allowing only one more hit while striking out four more. Bama added three runs in the fifth. Jason Torres led the inning off with his first home run of the season, a prodigious blast that left no doubt it was leaving the park. Luke Vaughn singled with one out and advanced when Osterhouse was hit by a pitch. Peyton Steele singled to plate both runners for a 6-0 lead.
Austin Morris replaced Upchurch in the top of the sixth and allowed only an infield single that was erased on a double play. After the Tide went down in order, Morris was back out for the seventh inning. A lead off walk, passed ball, and two ground outs plated the Rams first, and only, run of the game.
The Tide went down in order in the bottom for the seventh , and Matthew Heiberger took over in the eighth. The sophomore lefty retired the side in order on three ground balls. Needing five runs to end the game early, Bama responded. Brennan Holt led off with a walk and moved to third on a single by Fowler. Fowler swiped second base before LeBron popped up for out one. Neal singled Holt in and stole second also. Torres walked to load the bases. After a strikeout Vaughn walked to drive in a run and Osterhouse was hit by a pitch. Steele then lined a two run single to center field to give the Tide the 11-1 walk off, run rule victory. Alabama hit 9-32 in the game with nine walks, two hit batters, 11 strikeouts, two home runs, a double, three stolen bases, and left 10 on base. Steele was 2-5 with four RBI, Neal hit 2-5 with two runs, an RBI, and a stolen base. Vaughn had a 1-3 day with two walks, two runs, and a run driven in. Fowler was 1-3 with a walk and HBP, two stolen bases, and a run scored. Upchurch improved to 2-o, allowing three hits with one run, seven strikeouts, and no runs scored. Rhode Island was 4-25 with two walks, seven strikeouts, and two men left on base.
For the series Alabama hit .357, 34-95, walked 28 times, was hit by pitches eight times, struck out eight times, and left 25 runners on base. The team batting average improved from .214 to .271 with the weekend performance. Rhode Island hit 18-87-.206 during the weekend, while walking four times, struck out 25 times, and left 11 on base.
This was a weekend the Tide needed to get their bats going. Although not a great team, Rhode Island was a Regional team last year and is the pre season pick to win the A10 conference. Several guys got off the schinde, and hopefully gained some confidence for the upcoming schedule. The pitching remains a bright spot early in the season.
Who Did What:
- Brady Neal: 5-11, Home run (1), 5 runs, 4 RBI, sac bunt, walk, sac fly, stolen base
- Justin LeBron: 3 Home runs (5), 3 walks, 4 runs, 6 RBI,
- Johnny Lemm: 3-4, 5 runs, Home run (1), walk, HBP, RBI, on base 42 straight games -going back to last season
- Bryce Fowler: 4-11, 4 runs, 3 stolen bases, 3 RBI, 2 walks, 2 HBP
- Peyton Steele: 5-11, 2 runs, sac fly, 5 RBI
- Brennan Holt: 4-9. 3 runs, 2 doubles, walk, HBP, 2 RBI
- Luke Vaughn: 3-9, 4 walks, 4 RBI, 4 runs, sac fly, double Home run (2)
- Justin Osterhouse: 3-9, 4 runs,, 5 RBI, 2 walks, 2 HBP, Home run (1), stolen base
- Zane Adams W (2-0) 6 IP, 5 hits, 0 walks, 6 strikeouts, 2 runs
- Evan Steckmesser S (1) 2.1 IP, 0 hits, o walks, 0 runs, 3 strikeouts
- Myles Upchurch W (2-0) 5 IP, 3 hits, 1 walk, 7 strikeouts, 0 runs – two appearances, 9 IP, 5 hits, 3 walks, 16 strikeouts, 0 runs allowed.
Next up is a Tuesday game at Southern Miss and a trip to Frisco, TX for the Frisco, TX over the weekend. The Tide will play Iowa, Oregon State, and Houston in the tournament.
Roll Tide
Bama Baseball Fever, Catch it
