Alabama Baseball Drops First Midweek Game of Season at UAB, 4-3
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Alabama baseball dropped its first midweek game of the season on Tuesday night, losing to the UAB Blazers at Regions Field by a final score of 4-3.
The win for the Blazers means that the two teams split the season series, with the Crimson Tide winning the other game earlier this season at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. Prior to the game, Alabama was a perfect 10-0 on the season in midweek games. However, now with two midweek games remaining, the Crimson Tide is 10-1.
"We didn't lose the game in the 12th or whenever we lost it," Alabama head coach Brad Bohannon said after the game. "We lost it the first six innings. The at-bats the first two-thirds of the game weren't very good, we didn't defend well enough. You play [11] innings and you give up five or six hits, unless any of them were over 90 miles an hour you're supposed to win the ball game."
Alabama jumped into the lead in the top of the third when center fielder Andrew Pinckney blasted a two-run home run into the bullpen in left field. However those two runs would ultimately be the only runs the Crimson Tide would record.
The Crimson Tide remained ahead until the bottom of the fifth when the Blazers recorded two runs to tie the game. First, UAB catcher Nick Hollifield hit an RBI-single to give the Blazers their first run, followed by a fielder’s choice that resulted in another run crossing the plate.
In the bottom of the seventh, UAB took the lead courtesy of a sac-fly by second baseman John Marc Mullins.
In the top of the ninth, Crimson Tide right fielder Tommy Seidl tied the game when he hit a solo home run in straightaway center field. Two batters later, designated hitter Dominic Tamez crushed a ball to the exact same spot in the park but fell just a few feet short. With UAB unable to respond in the bottom of the inning, the game proceeded into extra innings.
In the top of the 10th, Alabama managed to get two runners on base but failed to convert those baserunners into runs. In the bottom of the inning, UAB was eight feet away from winning when a throw from Pinckney in center field beat the baserunner to the plate, giving the Blazers their second out of the inning. Alabama reliever Zane Probst struck out the final batter of the inning, and the game headed into the 11th.
With Alabama unable to get anything going in the top of the 11th, UAB returned right back to the plate. With the winning run at second, a ground ball by Blazers pinch hitter Henry Hunter bounced off of Crimson Tide first baseman Drew Williamson, sailing over his head and into the outfield. The runner rounded third and crossed the plate, and UAB took home the 4-3 victory.
On the mound, Christian Clack (2-1) picked up the win for UAB while Zane Probst (2-1) is tagged with the loss for Alabama.
With the loss, Alabama falls to 26-12 on the season. UAB rises to 12-24 on the year with the win. Up next, the Crimson Tide will travel to Columbia, Mo., to take on the Missouri Tigers in a three-game series beginning on Friday.
"We just gotta win," Bohannon said. "We gotta play our best, we gotta play better — we gotta get our bunts down. We're making some strides in the bullpen. That's a real positive and we've gotta swing the bats better that we did the last two days of the Auburn series and than we did tonight."
How It Happened:
Alabama Lineup
1. Colby Shelton (3B)
2. Andrew Pinckney (CF)
3. Drew Williamson (1B)
4. Tommy Seidl (RF)
5. Jim Jarvis (SS)
6. Dominic Tamez (DH)
7. Ed Johnson (LF)
8. Bryce Eblin (2B)
9. Mac Guscette (C)
Starting Pitcher: RHP Kade Woods (2-1, 6.32 ERA)
UAB Lineup
1. John Marc Mullins (2B)
2. Tyler Waugh (RF)
3. Christian Hall (1B)
4. Brayton Brown (LF)
5. Logan Braunschweig (CF)
6. Isaiah Mack (DH)
7. Nick Hollifield (C)
8. Mayes White (3B)
9. Gavin Lewis Jr. (SS)
Starting Pitcher: RHP Braxton Shelton (1-2, 5.95 ERA)
See Also:
Alabama Baseball Takes Game 3, Series in "Iron Bowl of Baseball" Against Auburn
The Extra Point: Alabama Baseball Entering Crucial Stretch Run
