Bama Central

Live Updates As Alabama Baseball Goes For A Sweep Of North Florida

Score updates and analysis from Sewell-Thomas Stadium as the Crimson Tide concludes its series against the Ospreys.
Theodore Fernandez|
Sewell-Thomas Stadium
Sewell-Thomas Stadium | BamaCentral

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama baseball has taken care of business over its first two games of the series against North Florida, handling the Ospreys 7-2 and 9-3 on Friday and Saturday, respectively. The Crimson Tide now goes for a series sweep with freshman Myles Upchurch on the mound for Sunday's contest.

Upchurch has impressed through his first three starts, going 2-1 with a 1.42 ERA and 20 strikeouts over 12.2 innings pitched. He ran into his first real trouble against Houston last Sunday, giving up his first career runs and taking his first loss against the Cougars. Now, he has a chance to move past that result and enter SEC play with real momentum.

Head coach Rob Vaughn says that in an "ideal world," Upchurch would throw 80-to-90 pitches today as a final tune-up for conference opposition. Tyler Fay and Zane Adams each threw season-high pitch counts this series, so if Upchurch can avoid trouble, he will likely do the same. Follow along for live updates and analysis:

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FINAL: Alabama 12, North Florida 2 (7 Innings)

Buchanan grounds out to end the game.

Eric Fouraker grounds into a double-play. Hosey comes in to score. Alabama 12, North Florida 2

Pich-hitter Connor Witherington gets a base hit to load the bases with nobody out.

Upchurch allows consecutive runners on to start the seventh, a walk and a single. His day is done after that as Ashton Crowther comes in to relieve him.

B6 — Alabama 12, North Florida 1

Lebron flies out to center to end the inning.

Fowler homers off the scoreboard in left field. Alabama is in run-rule territory. Alabama 12, North Florida 1

Holt steals second, just barely beating a good throw to the bag.

Holt keeps the inning alive with a single through the left side.

Steele strikes out swinging. He had a 3-1 count, fouled off strike two, and then missed on the next pitch.

Osterhouse flies out to the warning track. The left fielder jumped into the wall to make the catch.

T6 — Alabama 10, North Florida 1

Farner flies out to Steele at the warning track, and then Upchurch strikes out Gomez. He is on fire right now with 11 strikeouts. At 76 pitches, we should see him back out for the seventh.

Upchurch starts the inning with his tenth strikeout, getting Romeo swinging. That's a new career-high for the freshman.

B5 — Alabama 10, North Florida 1

Purdy strikes out swinging to end the frame.

Torres continues to rake with runners in scoring position. He hits a bases-clearing double to extend the lead to nine. Alabama 10, North Florida 1

Lemm draws a five-pitch walk to load the bases.

Neal lays down a bunt that the pitcher is unable to field, slipping in the process. Lebron, who'd already taken off for second, ends up at third.

Lebron's fourth-inning fielder's choice has just been updated to a single, so he does now have a hit on the day.

Lebron draws a seven-pitch walk, his second of the day.

Fowler grounds out for the second out.

Holt grounds out, failing to reach base for the first time today.

T5 — Alabama 7,North Florida 1

Upchurch gets his ninth strikeout to end the frame.

White pops up for the first out. Upchurch then gets Buchanan looking for his eighth strikeout of the game.

B4 — Alabama 7, North Florida 1

Steele flies out to right field to end the inning.

Osterhouse picks up an RBI single, getting one through the left side to bring Lemm around to score. Purdy holds up at second. Alabama 7, North Florida 1

Torres pops up for the second out. Purdy then walks, reaching base for the second time.

Lemm singles to short. Incredibly hard runner from the Australian to beat the throw by a split-second.

Neal hammers his fourth home run of the season, a no-doubter to left to bring in Lebron and Steele. Alabama 6, North Florida 1

Fowler strikes out swinging. Lebron then reaches on a fielder's choice. He hit a grounder to the third baseman, who began to try to tag Steele running to third, but then decided to throw to first. It is not in time, and Alabama has runners in the corners.

Fowler draws a six-pitch walk. That's the seventh free pass for the Crimson Tide.

Steele hits into what should be a groundout, but is safe on an error.

T4 — Alabama 2, North Florida 1

Upchurch puts together a 1-2-3 inning. He strikes out two batters, allowing contact just once, on a weak grounder to Torres at third. The freshman has seven strikeouts and has struck out the final batter of every frame. At just 53 pitches, he could go three more innings.

B3 — Alabama 2, North Florida 1

Osterhouse pops up to second to end the inning.

Purdy strikes out swinging as well. The catcher Hosey has dropped strike three both times and had to throw to first.

Torres strikes out swinging to start the frame.

T3 — Alabama 2, North Florida 1

Upchurch settles down to strike out Gomez and end the frame. Despite the hits and the home run, he's got five strikeouts through three.

Farner takes second on a wild pitch from Upchurch.

Farner extends the frame with a hard grounder through the right side, just out of the reach of Purdy. It's the third hit of the game for the Ospreys.

Romeo grounds out to Lebron for the second out.

Upchurch allows the first home run of his career as nine-hole batter Seth Alford takes him deep to left center. Alabama 2, North Florida 1

Upchurch starts the inning with his fourth strikeout, getting Drew Buchanan swinging.

B2 — Alabama 2, North Florida 0

Lemm flies out to left field to end the inning, stranding two.

Neal hits a sac fly to center field, scoring Steele and bringing Holt to third. Alabama 2, North Florida 0

Lebron strikes out swinging.

Fowler singles to left center, about the same spot he flew out to in his first at-bat. Steele and Holt both advance.

Brennan Holt walks in the first at-bat of Adams' relief appearance.

New pitcher for the Ospreys. Right-hander Brandon Adams enters the game.

Peyton Steele draws a leadoff walk. After going his first 48 at-bats without a walk, Steele has drawn four since Wednesday.

T2 — Alabama 1, North Florida 0

Upchurch gets Carter White to go down swinging to end the frame. He's thrown 17 pitches and struck out three through two innings. Sixteen of his 17 pitches have been in the zone.

Sean Benjamin fouls out, and Jackson Toberman goes down swinging. Quick two outs for Upchurch.

Hosey hits a leadoff single up the middle, a grounder right past Upchurch for the first hit of the game for the Ospreys.

B1 — Alabama 1, North Florida 0

Osterhouse grounds out to third to strand three.

Jason Torres draws another walk to load the bases, and then Andrew Purdy is plunked to bring Lebron home. North Florida is holding a mound visit with the bases still loaded for Justin Osterhouse. Alabama 1, North Florida 0

Brady Neal walks, and John Lemm advances both runners with a sac bunt.

After three throws to first, Lebron easily takes second. Osprey catcher Boone Hosey did not even try to throw.

Justin Lebron draws a seven-pitch walk, missing on two big cuts but ultimately ending up on first.

Bryce Fowler flies out just shy of the warning track in left field for the first out, swinging on the first pitch he sees.

T1 — Alabama 0, North Florida 0

Upchurch strikes out Gialdri Gomez, getting the junior right fielder looking to end the frame. He worked through the side in just seven pitches.

Two identical at-bats for Upchurch to start the game. Matthew Farner takes strike one and then grounds out to Lebron.

Myles Upchurch throws a first-pitch fastball and then gets leadoff batter Dario Romeo to ground out.

First pitch was at 1 p.m.

Pregame:

Probable Starting Pitchers For Alabama vs. North Florida:

  • Friday, March 6 — RHP Tyler Fay (UA) vs. TBA (UNF)
  • Saturday, March 7 — LHP Zane Adams (UA) vs. TBA (UNF)
  • Sunday, March 8 — RHP Myles Upchurch (UA) vs. TBA (UNF)

How to Watch Alabama vs. North Florida:

Who: Alabama (11-3) vs. North Florida (8-6)

When: Friday, March 6 — 6 p.m. CT

Saturday, March 7 — 2 p.m. CT

Sunday, March 8 — 1 p.m. CT

Where: Sewell-Thomas Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Ala.

TV: Streaming on SEC Network+

Radio: The Crimson Tide Sports Network on Tide 100.9 FM in Tuscaloosa, or The Varsity Network online

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Published | Modified
Theodore Fernandez
THEODORE FERNANDEZ

Theodore Fernandez is BamaCentral’s baseball beat reporter and a co-host of The Joe Gaither Show. He also works as a weekend sports anchor at WVUA 23 News in Tuscaloosa and serves as one of the station’s lead high school sports reporters. Fernandez is a news media student at The University of Alabama and is pursuing a master’s degree in sports management.

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