Alabama Baseball Strands 12, Gets Swept At Home by Arkansas

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The bullpen was not the problem.

After consecutive implosions in Friday and Saturday losses to Arkansas, Alabama took care of business defensively. Myles Upchurch went six innings on the mound, and Ashton Crowther took care of the rest as the Crimson Tide let in just three runs.

The bats were the problem, as Alabama went 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position and stranded 12 in a 3-2 loss that gave the Razorbacks the sweep.

"Simply not good enough," Vaughn said. "It is what it is. We can belabor that point, but it is just the nature of it. If you're going to win those games, you can't be that."

The Crimson Tide jumped out to a 2-0 lead thanks to RBIs from Andrew Purdy and Justin Lebron, who had been dropped from second to fourth in the lineup for Sunday's game. While Upchurch mowed through Arkansas batters, Alabama threatened to blow the game open in the fifth.

With Brennan Holt on second after a single and an error, Lebron and Eric Hines were intentionally walked to load the bases with two outs. Purdy, the freshman who got the start at first base over Luke Vaughn, grounded out to strand all three runners.

Arkansas finally got on the board in the sixth, as Ryder Helfrick tripled and then scored on a Maika Niu sac fly. Alabama got back into scoring position in the bottom of the inning, thanks to singles from Justin Osterhouse and Bryce Fowler, but Holt lined out to strand two more.

Things came to a head in the seventh. Nolan Souza tied the game with an RBI single, a run assigned to Upchurch, who had been taken out of the game after allowing a leadoff double and a walk. Crowther got out of the frame without further damage.

Alabama looked primed to pull back ahead, as Brady Neal and Lebron were set up at third and second, respectively, after consecutive hits. Hines struck out for the first out, bringing up the left-handed Purdy. Vaughn then opted to pinch-hit Luke Vaughn, a right-hander, instead, who struck out to put two away.

"We felt like it was a decent matchup there," Rob Vaughn said. "We thought that Luke is a contact guy. We thought he was a guy that would get it into play. Executed a couple of sliders, and he just wasn't able to do it."

After Jason Torres drew a walk, Justin Osterhouse flew out to strand the bases loaded.

It would be the last time Alabama had a runner on.

Arkansas pulled ahead in the eighth off a Camden Kozeal double, and that was it. Neal, Lebron and Hines went down 1-2-3 in the ninth to give the Razorbacks the sweep and bring Alabama's momentum to a halt.

"All the things that we stacked over a three-week stretch, we just didn't do (this weekend," Vaughn said. "Everybody up there is pretty pissed. We should be. And believe me, we are."

Alabama will look to right the ship on Tuesday against UAB before a massive road series against Texas next weekend.

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