The 13th ranked Crimson Tide went to Knoxville to take on the Tennessee Volunteers in a Thursday- Saturday scheduled series. Because of the threat of rain the series was truncated to a single game Thursday and a Friday doubleheader. Alabama won game one 12-8 before falling apart on Friday and losing 10-0 and 11-4. The Tide fell to 29-16 overall and 10-11 in the SEC while UT improved to 29-15 and 10-11 in conference play.
Tyler Fay started the game on the mound for the Tide against Landon Mack for the Volunteers. After a subpar offensive stretch over the last few games, Alabama coach Rob Vaughn tweaked his lineup some. And boy did it pay off. Justin Lebron was elevated to the lead off spot, while former lead off hitter Bryce Fowler was moved to cleanup. Brennan Holt moved from the nine spot to batting second. Eric Hines slide down one spot to the five hole. All contributed.
LeBron led off the game with a walk and Brady Neal drew a one out walk. Fowler drilled the first of his three doubles on the night to plate LeBron for an early 1-0 lead. Johnny Lemm was walked with two out to load the bases but a fly out left the bases loaded. Fay ran into trouble in the bottom half. Garrett Wright blasted a two strike home run leading off the frame. Henry Ford followed with a double and scored on a one out single by Blake Grimmer. After a walk, Fay struck out Blaine Brown to end the inning with a 2-1 deficit.
In the top of the second inning the Tide knotted the score. After two quick out LeBron hit a ball up the middle that Vol shortstop Manny Marin fielded behind the second base bag. LeBron was originally called out at first, but after a review the call was reversed. Holt singled to advance LeBron to second. After LeBron stole third, Mack balked, allowing LeBron to score and Holt to move to second. Neal was hit by a pitch, the first of six hit batter for Bama on the night, but Fowler grounded out to end the inning. Peyton Steele had to step in to bat for starting left fielder Justin Osterhouse when Osterhouse pulled his hamstring in the on deck circle.
Fay retired the first two batters in the bottom of the 2nd before Wright strode back to the plate. On a full count pitch Wright smacked his second home run in two inning to give the Vols the lead back at 3-2. Ford struck out to end the inning. Again the Tide answered. Hines led off with a single and moved to second when Lemm walked. Jason Torres put down a perfect sacrifice bunt to advance the runners into scoring position. Mack then hit Luke Vaughn in the head with a 95 mph fastball. Mack was visible upset and was removed from the game at that point. Vaughn stayed down for several minutes and Andrew Purdy replaced him as a pinch runner. Steele drilled a 1-2 pitch off the fence in deep centerfield to clear the bases and give the Tide a 5-3 lead. When the ball was thrown to the plate Steele tried to reach third base but was thrown out.
In the bottom of the third Fay walked the lead off man but retired the next three batters. Bama added to the lead in the top of the fourth inning. Holt walked and moved to second on a balk. Fowler smashed his second double of the game to plate Holt, making the score 6-3. Lemm just missed a home run to right field to end the half inning. Tennessee got one back in the bottom half on a hit batter, single, and error by LeBron on a potential double play ball. The 5th inning was scoreless for both teams.
Alabama mounted a two out rally in the sixth. After two quick outs Neal and Fowler both drew walks, bringing Hines to the plate. On a 3-1 pitch Hines smoked what was called “‘the longest home run every hit at Lindsey Nelson Stadium”, and absolute nuke that was measured at 430 feet and 108 miles an hour off the bat. Seeing it in person I can confidently say the ball went well over 430 feet. With a 9-4 lead Fay’s night was done and he left with a 9-4 lead. Sam Mitchell took over on the mound for the Tide in the bottom of the sixth.
The Volunteers cut into the lead with a two out, two run home run from Ford, cutting ing the lead to 9-6. However UT pitchers gave those runs, plus one, back in the top of the 7th inning. Mark Lindy walked Steele with one out and on a 2-1 pitch hit LeBron with a pitch. The next pitch Lindy threw hit Holt to load the bases and bringing Brady Fredrick to the mound. Unbelievably the first pitch Fredrick threw hit Neal to drive in a run. Fredrick then walked Fowler to force in another run, and Tennessee called Nic Abraham out of the bullpen. It took two pitches for Abraham to hit Hines and drive in the third run of the inning. A force out and fly out finally ended the mess, with Alabama ahead 12-6. Bama score their three runs with the aid of a hit, using two walks and four hit batters to plate the runs.
Mitchell struck the first two batter of the bottom of the 7th out before running into trouble. After a walk and a double Matthew Heirberger was brought in to replace Mitchell. Marin lined a single to right field to score both and cut the lead to 12-6, Levi Clark flew out to end the inning. In the top of the 8th the Tide went down in order for the only time in the game. Heiberger allowed an infield single in the 8th, but nothing else.
In the 9th Bama got a single from Holt and another double from Fowler, but could not add to the lead. Holt was thrown out at the plate on a grounder by Hines on a close play. Hagan Banks took the 9th inning for the Tide and after a leadoff single, notched two strikeouts and a fly out to end the game.
Alabama hit 10-34 in the game with 10 walks, six hit batters, four doubles, one home run, a sac bunt, a stolen bases, five strikeouts, and left 12 men on base. Fowler was 3-4 with three doubles, three RBI, two walks, and one run. Hines finished 2-5 with a hit by pitch, three RBI, and a home run. Holt was 2-4 with a walk, a hit by pitch and two runs scored. LeBron ran his hitting streak to 12 games with a 1-4 night with a walk, hit by pitch, stolen base, and three runs scored. Steele drove in three runs with a double on a 1-4 night with walk and a run. Fay was the winner and is 7-3 on the year,
Arkansas finished 11-39 in the game with four walks, one hit batter, tow home runs, two doubles, 10 strikeouts, and left nine on base. Wright was 2-5 with two home runs and three driven in. Ford was 2-5 with two RBI, a double, and a home run. Mack was the loser and fell to 3-4 after allowing five runs in 2.1 innings pitched.
Alabama junior left hander Zane Adams started for the Tide against Tennessee sophomore right hander Tegan Kuhns. The Tide couldn’t touch Kuhns, accumulating only four base runners in the game on three singles and one walk. In Thursday’s game one Bama had 26 base runners on 10 hits, 10 walks, and six hit batters.
Kuhns and Adams matched perfect 1st innings. Alabama had their best chance to score in the top of the second. Eric Hines lined a one out single and Jason Torres drew a two out walk for the only time in the game that rhe team had two base runners in an inning. Andrew Purdy hit a sharp line drive that the Vols extreme shift led to the second baseman snaring the ball to end the inning.
Tennessee got a one out solo home run from Trent Grindlinger in the bottom of the second for the only run they would need. After Bama went down in order in the third, the Vols added three more runs. UT used a hit batter, three singles, a double and an RBI ground out led to a 4-o lead after 3 innings. Bryce Fowler singled for Alabama in the top of the 4th, and advanced to second when Kuhns threw away a pick off attempt, but couldn’t move any further. Kuhns struck out the side. Adams worked around a walk in the 4th and a walk and hit batter in the 5th to hold the score at 4-0.
Brady Neal singled with two outs in the 6th inning, and was Alabama’s last base runner of the game. Adams began the bottom of the 6th for Bama and allowed a lead off single and a one out walk before being replaced by Austin Morris. A ground out scored one run, and another raced home on an error, pushing the lead to 6-0.
Kuhns kept mowing down the Tide and UT added two runs in the 7th off of Morris and Evan Steckmesser for an 8-0 lead. In the bottom of the 8th a single, double, two walks, and a sacrifice fly plated the final two runs needed to cut the game short.
Alabama hit 3-27 with one walk, nine strikeouts, and four left in base. Neal, Fowler, and Hines collected the safeties. The game was the first time of the season that the Tide has been shutout. Adams fell to 4-3 on the season.
Tennessee finished 9-32 with eight walks, two hit batters, four strikeouts, two doubles, one home run, and left seven on base. Trent Grindlinger was 2-2 with two doubles, two RBI, and two runs scored. Blain Brown hit 2-4. Kuhns improved to 3-3 with the complete game shutout.
Alabama called on freshman right hander Myles Upchurch in game three to try and win the series. Tennessee countered with senior left hander Evan Blanco. Both hurlers had perfect first innings with one strikeout. Bama went down in order in the second. Upchurch retired the first two hitters in the bottom of the 2nd, before allowing three straight singles to bring in the games first run. Upchurch struck out Levi Clark to end the inning.