Alabama Baseball Wins Big, 18-1

In a game shortened to seven innings, the Alabama Crimson Tide defeated The Alcorn State Braves by a score of 18-1 in a non conference baseball game on Tuesday night. The Tide used two six run innings and two three run innings to score a season high in runs. ‘Bama had three home runs, including two grand slams and a three run shot. The Tide improved to 15-22 while Alcorn fell to 9-23 on the year.

Freshman right hander and Tuscaloosa native Deacon Medders drew the start on the mound and collected his first career victory with five sharp innings. Medders allowed four hits, with one walk and four strikeouts, while giving up one run. Sam Finnerty, Tyler Adams and Sonny Potter followed and none allowed a base runner.

It took until the third inning for the Tide to draw blood, and they scored six runs to effectively put the game away. Walker McCleney led off with a single and Kyle Kaufman added a one out single. After Cobie Vance reached on an error, Chandler Taylor had an RBI single. Big Cody Henry then drove his sixth home run of the year off the scoreboard for a grand slam. Henry added a three run bomb in the fourth, giving him seven runs driven in, the most for a Tide player since Brandon May drove in seven vs Mississippi in 2009.

‘Bama added three runs in the fifth, aided by some wild pitching from the Braves and only one hit, a Kaufman RBI single. Vance drove in a run with a bases loaded walk, and Taylor chased one home with a sacrifice fly to center. The Tide pushed the lead out even further in the bottom of the sixth, with another six spot, highlighted by Chandler Avant’s first career home run, another grand slam. Taylor Poe came up twice in the evening, and reached on a hit by pitch, and drove in a run with a bases loaded walk.

The Tide had 13 hits in the game, and walked seven times, while striking out only four times and left seven runners on base. The Braves had only four hits and walked once while striking out seven times and leaving five runners on base.

Henry was the offensive star with his 3-5 night with two home runs and seven driven in. Kaufman added three hits, drove in one and scored twice. Avant now has a team season high 11 game hitting streak, and hit the first home run of his career, and drove in a career high four runs. Vance had his nine game hitting streak snapped.

ANALYSIS

This is the way this game should have gone, and the players finally had fun while playing. When you play an overmatched opponent, you should win going away, and the Tide did just that. It was nice to see some smiles, and loose play from the players, something that had been in short supply this season.

UP NEXT

Now it is back to the SEC grind, as the team travels to Starkville for a Thursday, Friday, Saturday series this weekend. Game one is at 6:00 p.m., and will be on the SEC Network. Friday’s game two is set for 6:30 p.m., and Saturday’s first pitch is at 2 p.m. The final two games of the series can be seen on line at SEC Network Plus, Watch ESPN App. The Bulldogs are ranked 11th in the nation going into the weekend.

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