Alabama Baseball Blitzes Vanderbilt To Claim Series Victory

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Alabama baseball used back-to-back first-inning home runs to jump on the Vanderbilt Commodores and take control of game two of the weekend series. Alabama starting pitcher Zane Adams and reliever Ashton Crowther handled the rest as the pair combined to shut out the Commodores, ensuring the Crimson Tide won game two 5-0 to claim the program's first SEC series win since the first of April.

"Yeah, obviously a great win, and I think it all starts with Zane [Adams] here on my left," Alabama head coach Rob Vaughn said. "Just an incredible job on the mound, executing pitches. That's a dangerous offense. We talked about that a little bit yesterday and what they've done. There's some thunder at the top of the order. They've got guys who can really hit. I thought he did a really good job of establishing the heater today. I think all the other stuff just played really well, executed some fastballs in some huge counts, executed the change-up, really everything was kind of working and executing pitches in big spots.

"Obviously, he [Eric Hines] hits a big homer, has another RBI later, just a really good job. The big challenge here is you move up to 12:30, it's a rainy day, it's not great weather, got about 25 people here - I mean, it's finals week here, I get it - But you look up, and we were going to have to create our own energy today, and it started with Zane on the mound. Eric gives us a big swing. Lemm follows it up with a homer in the first. So a three spot and then a zero after it. Zane just kept getting better as the day went. A really good win for us, and now we've got to come out and get rested up. It'll be good to have the rest of the evening to recover and get after it for a big one tomorrow."

Crimson Tide freshman Eric Hines followed Bryce Fowler's two-out, two-strike hit with a bomb into the visitor's bullpen to give Alabama a quick 2-0 lead in the first inning. Senior John Lemm stamped the strong start with a solo-shot of his own on the very next at-bat as both Hines and Lemm hit their second home runs of the weekend.

The Commodores did their best to respond in the top of the second inning as two singles and a walk loaded the bases with just one out for Vanderbilt. Adams struck out nine-hole hitter Korbin Reynolds six pitches later, but still had the bases juiced as the 'Dores turned the lineup over. Vanderbilt leadoff man Ryker Waite fouled off five consecutive pitches as he tried to get the Commodores on the scoreboard, but Adams was simply better, striking out Waite on 10 pitches to end the inning and strand all three baserunners.

"I knew it was a big momentum shift in the game, whether they scored or not could change the game and the fact that I was able to get out of that kind of killed them a little bit," Adams said. "So yeah, I made good pitches when I needed to with my back against the wall."

Hines kept his momentum rolling in the third inning, scoring Justin Lebron with a single in the third inning for his third RBI of the day and his sixth of the weekend. Alabama's early offense forced Vanderbilt starting pitcher Aiden Stillman from the game after he walked Lemm on four pitches in the Australians' second at-bat. Third baseman Jason Torres drew a bases-loaded walk from Vanderbilt reliever Brennan Seiber, extending Alabama's lead to 5-0 for the final runs of the overcast afternoon.

"I'm just trying to get adjusted with how they're pitching me, especially in those first two at-bats yesterday," Hines said. "It just gave me an idea of what I'm going to get for the rest of the weekend. So I had to make everything simple, and like Coach Vaughn said they set up the inning and all I had to do was just do my job. I think I'm seeing it well."

The Crimson Tide managed just three hits over the game's final six innings, but outstanding pitching ensured the early offense was enough. The Commodores worked runners on base in the third and fourth innings, but Adams never appeared threatened as he answered every Vanderbilt hit with strong stuff. The junior went six innings, giving up eight hits and a walk, but striking out six Commodores to maintain control of the game.

Adams handed the ball to Crowther in the seventh and was rewarded with the reliever turning in three scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and striking out two batters on just 37 pitches.

"I think it just shows you when you can mix three pitches in the zone for strikes, and you're constantly at an advantage and on the attack, and you play defense behind them that it's hard to hit," Vaughn said. "It doesn't matter if it's 98 or 88, like it's just hard to hit. Ashton's got a real funky look to him. The ball really sinks and turns over. The slider goes the other way. The change-up's off that. I think he just buries you with strikes....He was outstanding in that situation right there, and I think that's what Zane had going, mixing four pitches for strikes, pretty much any pitch, any count."

Alabama can sweep its first SEC series since taking care of the Auburn Tigers in late March with a game three victory on Saturday.

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