Alabama Baseball Overcomes North Dakota State, Puts Bison Away Late

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— Through the month of February, the Alabama baseball team is undefeated. That 10-0 mark was capped off with a series-opening 12-4 win against North Dakota State in Tuscaloosa on Friday evening.

The Bison (1-7) hung tough with Alabama for several innings after a three-spot off starting pitcher Zane Adams in the top of the first. Adams loaded the bases and gave up two runs before recording an out, ultimately pitching three more innings after that. In the first two innings, the teams scored a combined eight runs.

"Just really good at-bats," head coach Rob Vaughn said. "Credit their starter. [Nolan] Johnson did a good job of kind of adjusting... [Adams] was able to hang three more zeroes behind [the first inning]. That's what you have to have on Friday. If you have to go get your starter in the first on Friday, or the second, it really sets you back in the weekend."

A five-run second inning gave the Crimson Tide the lead, and the home team's powerful offense was the boost it needed in the frame: Brennen Norton, Kade Snell and Richie Bonomolo Jr. all hit home runs in the frame. For the latter two, it was their first home run of the season.

"Me and [assistant coach Anthony Papio] have been going through some things. I'm not hitting bad by any means, but the extra-base hits and stuff like that will come," Snell said. "I'm just glad I got a pitch that I was able to do something with."

The score stood level there, at 5-3, for a substantial amount of time as Adams settled in and North Dakota State refused to yield more damage. Alabama added a further five runs in the bottom of the seventh, and third baseman Jason Torres hit a moonshot over the left-field scoreboard in the eighth to plate the Crimson Tide's 11th and 12th runs.

"Torres, it was a mammo [mammoth]," Snell said. "We kinda knew he was gonna break out sooner or later and, like, actually get one, and he hit it a long way."

The visitors did score one more run in the top of the eighth, a sacrifice fly from third baseman Davis Hamilton to the run-scoring benefit of center fielder Kyle Law. The difference was in prior innings when, still down only two runs, the Bison players could not dent the scoring column any further than they had in the first.

Seven of nine Alabama starters had at least one run batted in. Norton had three. Meanwhile, senior relief pitcher Braylon Myers was credited with the win after going three shutout innings and only surrendering two hits.

"[Myers] coming in and giving us those three zeroes there was just huge," Vaughn said. "It kinda killed anything they had going and allowed us some time to work through some things and lengthen it out later on."

"I think when people draw up the scouting report and stuff on us, I think the first thing we want them to think is, 'Man, I hope they don't have their stuff today,' or something of that nature," Snell said. "We line up, one through nine, it's just a scary at-bat... One through nine, we can all do it, given whatever it may be that needs to be done."

The Crimson Tide will have an opportunity on Saturday to start the month of March 1-0, and to win the series against the Bison. With right-hander Riley Quick on the hill and looking sharp to start the season, the action is scheduled to get underway at 2 p.m. CT.

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