TJ McCants Stars, No. 11 Alabama Baseball Sweeps Season Series Against Alabama State
One game removed from clinching a home series victory against then-No. 5 ranked Tennessee, the Alabama baseball team took to Montgomery and the Wheeler-Watkins Baseball Complex for act two of its season series with Alabama State.
The No. 11 Crimson Tide (18-3, 2-1 SEC) run-ruled the Hornets 12-0 in seven innings back on Feb. 21. The rematch ended in another s Alabama triumph, this time by a 15-7 margin in a game that went the full nine innings. There was no hangover from the electric weekend that yielded the first conference series win of Rob Vaughn's tenure as head coach. The team was confident going into that series, but proved they belonged by taking two of three from a program with whom Alabama has shared some intense matchups
Center fielder TJ McCants was the star of the show on Tuesday. He did more than just extend his hitting streak to 21 games (which happened during his first plate appearance). The Ole Miss transfer also recorded the program's first performance of three home runs in a single game since before the turn of the century. In doing so, he set a new single-season career high in long balls, giving himself the team lead with 10 of them on the campaign. "I feel good," McCants said. "[The coaches] give us a good plan, and that's what I try to run off during every at-bat. Just sticking to that, I think that's gonna really help me keep going."
The senior wasn't even born yet on May 8, 1999, when G.W. Keller mashed three home runs in a game against Vanderbilt. McCants went 4-for-4 at the plate, and by the seventh inning, the Hornets (8-10, 0-2 SWAC) had seen enough of him that he was intentionally walked to load the bases.
"That's kind of crazy," he said. "It's my first time ever hitting three home runs in a game, too. It's pretty cool that I'll be in a record book, or whatever they have here for Alabama. That's pretty sweet."
Alabama State took an early lead when catcher Jamal George sent one deep off midweek starter Zane Adams. Adams struggled last week on the road in Hattiesburg against Southern Miss. That solo shot would be the only run he gave up in Montgomery across three innings and 48 pitches of work. He earned his second win of the spring in the effort, moving his season record to 2-1. It was McCants who gave Alabama its first lead in the third, then he emerged again with his second home run of the evening to stretch the visitors' lead to 4-1.
"Those were some unbelievable at-bats out of him [McCants]," Vaughn said. "TJ was just phenomenal and we needed that on a night like tonight, just to create a little room for us and get us going."
McCants was Hornet starter Jose Almazan's kryptonite. Three of the four runs he allowed scored on the strength of the Crimson Tide center fielder's bat. The first two home runs came on fastballs. The third was a changeup. "I'm always gonna be a guy that expects a fastball, but I try to adjust to off-speed, so tonight I was able to do that," he said.
Even so, the Hornets stuck with it. Head coach Jose Vasquez preaches competing with his players, every time they step on the diamond. Alabama State made it 4-2, then following McCants' third home run to bring the home team's deficit to 8-2 heading into the home sixth, battled back to 8-5. In the top of the seventh, the wheels came off for the Hornets' pitching staff. It was a seven-run frame for Alabama, including RBI singles by shortstop Justin Lebron (two RBIs), third baseman Gage Miller, right fielder Evan Sleight (two RBIs) and second baseman Mason Swinney. Left fielder Ian Petrutz drew a walk for a run batted in the easy way.
The score was 15-5 after that marathon, and heading into stretch time, Alabama State was in danger of losing in run-rule fashion to the Crimson Tide once again. Sam Mitchell toed the rubber to finish it off, and second baseman Devin Chandler picked up his second and third RBIs of the game to keep things moving. First baseman Kyler McIntosh had two of his own but lined out to end the seventh.
The run rule was staved off. However, that seemed to mean another chance at the dish for McCants, who by that point had collected six RBIs and scored four times. He was ultimately lifted from the game for lefty power hitter Camden Hayslip. The home seventh was the last frame in which either team scored. Chandler had a solid day at the plate in his own right, slashing 1.000 on the day with a 3-of-3 outing.
The first road test of league play is up next on the Alabama docket, against the Georgia Bulldogs. McCants wants the Crimson Tide to remain the same team as it has been. "We haven't been away yet. It's gonna be nice to see how we respond," he said, "to being in a different place, not having all our fans, and just us being behind ourselves. That's gonna be nice to play out."
