Raindrops Can't Cool Off Alabama in SEC Tournament Opener
HOOVER, Ala. — The tarp inside Hoover Metropolitan Stadium swallowed up the field twice during Tuesday’s SEC Tournament opener between No. 11 seed Alabama baseball and No. 6 Georgia. However, no amount of rain could wash away a fast from the Crimson Tide as it held for a 5-3 victory over the Bulldogs to keep its season alive.
Sporadic showers resulted in two hours and 42 minutes worth of weather delays as a game originally scheduled for 9:30 a.m. finally wrapped up nearly six hours later. After storming out to an early 5-1 lead, Alabama saw its hot start halted in the middle of the third inning as rain brought on a stoppage of two hours and seven minutes.
Fueled by a mixture of positive vibes and a few sandwiches, the Crimson Tide was able to maintain its momentum as players kept themselves loose throughout the break.
“There were definitely a lot of snacks, a lot of just talking with guys,” Alabama right fielder Andrew Pickney said when asked how players passed time during the delay. “Try not to get in a funk at all just chop it up with the boys and have a good time.”
“We had some Jimmy John’s,” winning pitcher Ben Hess said with a smile.
The hometown crowd also played a part in helping to keep Alabama loose. Several Crimson Tide players took time to sign autographs during the break while redshirt freshman Will Portera warmed up with a collection of young fans in the left-field stands.
“I brag on this group a lot. We just have some awesome kids from great families,” Alabama head coach Brad Bohannon said. “When I see a video on social media of Will Portera playing catch with a little kid or I see some of our players just talking to random little kids outside the dugout I’m not surprised.
When the skies eventually cleared up, Alabama made sure to keep the predominately crimson-clad fans smiling. While the long delay forced starting pitcher Garrett McMillan out of the game after two innings, Hess (3-1) was able to pick up the slack, giving up just one hit and a walk while striking out 10 batters over 4⅓ scoreless innings.
Hess struck out seven of the first eight batters he faced and pitched the Crimson Tide into the seventh inning before turning the ball over to the rest of the bullpen.
"Actually two weeks ago we were playing Auburn, and it was kind of the same situation," Hess said. "Rain delay, I was coming in, and I treated it kind of like that. I get myself ready in the locker room, and it was a bit of an abbreviated catch play, so I kind of know that going into it. Get myself ready in the locker room, and from there it's pretty much just treating it as a start, so I got some experience earlier in the doing that."
Brock Guffey relieved Hess, giving up two runs over 12/3 innings. From there, Dylan Ray picked up his seventh save, striking out two batters over a scoreless ninth inning to close out the win.
Alabama advances to the double-elimination portion of the tournament where it will face No. 3 seed Arkansas, which earned a first-round bye. The Crimson Tide and Razorbacks were originally slated to play on Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. CT. However, that time is subject to change due to delayed start times in Tuesday’s following game.
Alabama (30-25) took two of three games against Arkansas (38-16) over the weekend. After winning three of its last four games, the Crimson Tide will likely still need to win at least a couple more games in the tournament to have a shot of earning an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament. However, as Tuesday showed, you won’t catch the Crimson Tide stressing over its situation.
"I really feel like after the Friday game at Arkansas you could just feel a different level of looseness within our team, and what do you know, you're seeing some better production, especially offensively," Bohannon said. "These kids like to play. They really like each other. They really like playing the game of baseball. They didn't need any pep talk. I ran out of those about three or four weeks ago."
