‘Bama Baseball Blasts Bees, 21-7

The 18th ranked Alabama baseball team run-ruled yet another team on Wednesday night in Tuscaloosa.

The Tide smashed the Alabama State Hornets 21-7 in seven innings on the back of 15 hits and four home runs to improve to 14-0. ASU fell to 7-8 on the season. ‘Bama has hit at least one home run in every game this year and has a total of 34 long balls. The Tide is one win away from tying the school record for victories to start a season set by the 1997 World Series team that started 15-0.

RECAP

Graduate transfer Jackson Reynolds toed the rubber to start the game for Bama. Reynolds allowed a lead off single in the first but then retired the next three batters. The Tide jumped ahead with two runs in the bottom half. Tommy Seidl singled, one of his four hits in the game, followed by double from Andrew Pinckney. Drew Williamson drove in Seidl on a ground out and Ed Johnson plated Pinckney with a single. ASU used back to back two out doubles in the top of the second to cut the lead to 2-1.

The relentless Tide has scored in waves all season, and continued that practice over the rest of the game. In the second Jim Jarvis singled and scored on Seidl’s opposite field home run into the plaza. Pinckney was hit by a pitch and Williamson walked bringing catcher Mac Guscette to the dish. Guscette blasted his fifth home run of the year just inside the foul pole to give Bama a lead of 7-1.

The Hornets used two hits and a sacrifice fly to score two in the top of the third. However the Tide answered with four runs of their own in the bottom half. Seidl’s third hit of the game, a single, scored two runs and Johnson singled in another. A wild pitch scored the final run in the frame. Bama had three walks, a hit batter, and just two hits in the inning.

Brayden Gainey relieved Reynolds to start the fouthr inning and held Alabama State scoreless for two innings. In the bottom of the fourth the Tide sent five more men across the plate. Will Hodo began the parade with a solo home run , Seidl had his fourth hit, and Guscette doubled in two more runs. ASU pitching helped out with two walks, a hit batters, and another wild pitch.

The Hornets got the first two runners on base off of Gainey in the sixth and Alton Davis was brought in to relieve him. Ali Lapread greeted Davis with a home run to score three runs. Davis then notched two strikeouts and a ground out to end the half inning with a score of 16-6.

As they have all season the Tide answered in the bottom half with five runs. The big blows were a two run double from Caden Rose and a three run homer from Jarvis. Jarvis has now hit a home run in two straight games. Connor Ball pitched the seventh for the Tide and after a lead off home run, retired the next three batters to end the game with Bama on top 21-7.

Alabama hit 15-33 in the game with seven extra base hits. The Tide drew 10 walks, had three hit batters, struck out four times, and left seven on base. The Hornets hit 11-30, had one walk, one hit batters, struck out four times, and left five men on base.

Individually, fours were wild for Seidl. In four innings the outfielder had four at bats, four hits, four runs driven in, and scored four times. His home run was his second of the year. Guscette was 3-3 with a home run, double, run scored, and six runs driven in. Jarvis drove in three with two hits and scored three runs. Johnson had a 2-5 night with two RBI and Rose reached base for the 31st straight by virtue of being hit by a pitch and also was 1-4 with three runs scored and two driven in with his second double of the season. Reynolds was the winning pitcher and is 1-0 on the season.

TAKEAWAYS

Alabama continues to romp over teams that they are suppose to beat.

The Tide piled up 15 hits, despite the red-hot Colby Shelton going 0-4. Shelton had hit seven home runs in the previous four games with two grand slams. Having notched 34 home runs already, the team is over halfway to their season total of last year.

Coach Brad Bohannon was again able to use much of his roster, playing 16 position players and four pitchers tonight. Bama has four more games before the gauntlet of the SEC schedule beings. This weekend defending Ivy League Champion, Columbia comes to town and the Tide will play South Alabama in Mobile on Tuesday. And off to a 14-0 start, Bama can break the school record of 15 straight wins to start a season.

This weekend’s games are schedule for 6 p.m. on Friday, 2 p.m. on Saturday, and 1 p.m. on Sunday.

I would not expect those times to hold given the predicted weather in Tuscaloosa this weekend. Stay tuned for possible time changes, but don't be surprised if a double header will have to be played at some point. The games can be found on SEC Network Plus.

Roll Tide

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