Alabama Baseball Takes Game 3, Series in "Iron Bowl of Baseball" Against Auburn
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — "Sometimes you've got to lose one early to win one late."
That's what Alabama Baseball head coach Brad Bohannon had to say after the Crimson Tide's series-clinching 6-1 win over the Auburn Tigers on Sunday afternoon at Sewell-Thomas Stadium.
The Tigers (20-15-1, 5-10 SEC) took Game 1 on Friday night. Alabama (26-11, 6-9 SEC) responded with back-to-back critical victories on Saturday and Sunday to take the weekend set.
"Really proud of our team," Bohannon said. "It was a big weekend coming into it. We didn't play very well Friday night. Our guys did what they've done all year — they just kept playing, kept coming. The kids deserve all the credit. It was a big weekend. I hate saying that in the middle of April, but that's just where we were coming into it."
The Crimson Tide got behind 1-0 on Sunday. It went on to score six unanswered runs.
The hero of Sunday's game was the bullpen. After several lackluster showings over the past few weeks, the unit could not have been better. After Jacob McNairy threw a solid 3.2 innings allowing one run, freshmen Riley Quick and Alton Davis II slammed the door on Auburn.
The two combined for 5.1 innings of scoreless baseball.
McNairy, Quick, Davis II and Garrett McMillan — yesterday's star — are all Alabama natives. It's only fitting that the in-state guys played the way they did.
A lot has been said about Bohannon recently. He made a brilliant call in the bottom of the seventh.
With two outs and runners on the corners, Bohannon drew up a double steal that sent Drew Williamson to second and Jim Jarvis to home plate. Williamson's move distracted Tigers pitcher Tanner Bauman — and Jarvis took off, sliding in just in time to extend Alabama's lead.
"It's nice when those things work out," Bohannon said. "I really didn't have any intention of running a play there. […] You're just sitting there doing the math. There's a better chance of them misplaying a play like that when that's something we don't do very much."
"If I'm being honest, I kind of forgot what the timing was supposed to look like," Jarvis said. "I was getting a little nervous. We've practiced that really recently but I didn't know if I was supposed to start it or if Drew was supposed to start it but it worked out."
"We need to practice it more," Bohannon said.
The series win is the Crimson Tide's first of SEC play. In what was a big week, Alabama finished 3-1.
Next week is four more games for the Crimson Tide. Alabama visits UAB on Tuesday night before a weekend series in Columbia against the Missouri Tigers.
How It Happened
Final Score: Alabama 6 | Auburn 1
See Also:
Mound Gem by McMillan Powers Alabama Past Auburn 4-2, Evens Series
Late Rally Not Enough for Alabama Baseball, Auburn Prevails 8-4
Salter Has Sweet Performance in Alabama Softball Win Against Mississippi State
Brad Bohannon and Two Other Alabama Baseball Coaches Sued By Former Player
