Bombs Away: Power Surge Sends No. 17 Alabama Baseball Past No. 19 Texas A&M

Many an SEC baseball game has come down to the wire on a Friday night. Add the series and conference play opener between No. 17 Alabama and No. 19 Texas A&M at Blue Bell Park to that list. The visitors can now win the series on Saturday, a game with a 2 p.m. CT first pitch.

The Crimson Tide (18-1, 1-0 SEC) was outhit 11-8 but slugged four home runs, including two in the ninth inning, to beat an injury-riddled Aggies team 6-4 despite the best efforts of home starter Ryan Prager.

Prager, half of an all-lefty starting pitching matchup along with Alabama's Zane Adams (5.2 innings, three runs, one earned while pitching in his home state), tossed seven innings. He surrendered two two-run home runs to Alabama hitters: one to first baseman Will Hodo in the second inning, and the other to right fielder Bryce Fowler in the fifth.

"I challenged the guys before the game to win the toughness battle and they were great tonight," Crimson Tide head coach Rob Vaughn said. "What a great start for Zane Adams in his home state and just gritty at-bats all night long."

Alabama did not have a starter in the batting order log a multi-hit game. Texas A&M had three, but two of them did not record a run batted in.

The star of the day for the Crimson Tide from a pitching perspective arguably ended up being closer Carson Ozmer, who faced his former Penn teammate Wyatt Henseler twice and went the last 2.2 innings of the game. He got out of multiple jams, including inducing a key double play in the ninth.

The Aggie lineup largely went back and forth with Alabama. After Hodo's early home run made it 2-0, Texas A&M (10-7, 0-1 SEC) scored the next two, with one run each in the third and fourth innings. In the third, star center fielder Jace LaViolette doubled home Jamal George. In the fourth, designated hitter Hayden Schott recorded a game-tying RBI groundout.

Fowler's two-run bomb was the next time either side affected the scoring column, and again the home team answered back. In the sixth, second baseman Sawyer Farr singled in first baseman Gavin Kash. Two innings later, Schott sent an opposite-field home run off the foul pole in left for Ozmer's first earned run of the season.

When Hodo grounded out to make the second out of the visiting ninth, it meant Alabama was down to its final out before the bottom of the ninth. The pitcher brought in to face the lefty, southpaw Kaiden Wilson, was lifted for Brad Rudis, who surrendered back-to-back jacks to Brennen Norton and Kade Snell.

Snell also hit a home run on Tuesday against UAB. Friday's big insurance blast was his third of the season; Norton has six. Ozmer let the first two men on in the ninth but put out the fire and put his team ahead in the series.

"The environment was electric tonight, and the boys responded like I knew they would," Vaughn said. "I'm proud of the effort, and [it's] on to the next one."

Alabama shortstop Justin Lebron exited the game midway through the eighth after striking out in the top half of the frame. He finished hitless in four at-bats. Freshman Jon Young Jr., who made a spot start at second in Norton's stead last Sunday, replaced him but did not take an at-bat.

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