TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— Alabama baseball has greatly exceeded expectations by nearly every metric throughout the first half of the season. A team that started the season unranked is up to No. 12 in the polls and comfortably holds a winning record in SEC play. One key concern remains, and that is undeniably the team’s pitching.

Entering Saturday’s game against Mississippi State, Alabama had allowed five or more runs in 13 of its last 14 games, and nine in a row. That trend was put to bed as starter Riley Quick went a season-high 5 1/3 innings, allowing just one run in the Crimson Tide’s 4-1 win over the Bulldogs in the series’ second game.

That’s not just about as good as I’ve seen him, that’s as good as I think you can throw the baseball for that amount of time” head coach Rob Vaughn said of Quick’s performance. “Just executed, got the cutter in through fastballs, and was able to land some secondary stuff, and, you know, hitters and manage counts.”

Quick allowed six hits and struck out seven batters (six over the first three innings) in the win. Leadoff batter Gehrig Frei took him yard on the fourth pitch of the game and that was all of the Bulldogs’ offense on the day. He was pulled after allowing a one-out double to Noah Sullivan.

Quick missed time two weekends ago with a blood blister he suffered before the Tennessee series. He was solid in his appearance against Auburn, but this was very likely the best showing of his season and his entire career.

“I don’t really worry,” Quick said during the postgame press conference. “I’m like, ‘Alright, just go get the next guy.’ And that’s kind of my mentality always, just get the next guy, get the next three out. So I did that, and then going five innings, obviously that was fun. Had a good time out there. I felt normal again.”

At this point, Connor Lehman came in and allowed a single to left, putting the Bulldogs on third base for the first time of the afternoon. Vaughn gave the ball to Austin Morris, who grounded it right to Justin Lebron for an inning-ending unassisted double play.

That was all Vaughn required of Morris. Hagan Banks pitched two no-hit innings, allowing just one walk, and just like that, Alabama entered the ninth just one frame away from securing its most dominant pitching performance of SEC play.

It was not smooth sailing. Carson Ozmer gave up a one-out single to Gatlin Sanders to move the leading runner, Steven Spalitta, to second and put the tying run at the plate. Stallman grounded out, advancing both runners, and then Michael O’Brien was called in to pinch hit.

The sophomore is a relatively unknown, having notched just three hits across 15 plate appearances entering the at-bat. With the game hanging in the balance, Ozmer stepped up, forcing a 1-1 popout to short to tie up the series, and, perhaps more importantly, set the tone that this team is capable of producing dominant defensive showings in big games.

“I thought everybody in the pinch did their job,” Vaughn said. “Connor Lehman came in, executes a pitch, and just found kind of that Bermuda triangle out there. And then Austin Morris settles in, gets a ground ball, which is what great guys do. Hagan Banks, two great innings, and Ozmer being the pro that he is there at the end. So just that was the story of the game.”

Alabama has clearly established an identity as a team that can go out and put on an offensive spectacle on any given night. But if performances like this can become commonplace, it may just make the Crimson Tide a true national contender. If Vaughn and company want to make its first College World Series appearance since 1999, the arms will need to be able to consistently produce showings like this one. Saturday may have been the first step along that path.