The Alabama Crimson Tide baseball team traveled up the road to Homewood to play the Samford Bulldogs on Tuesday night. In a hard fought pitching duel the Tide came out on top by a score of 3-2. Alabama improved to 3-1 on the season while the Bulldogs fell to 2-2.

A pair of senior right handers faced off in the contest, JT Blackwood for the Tide and Joseph Lee for the Dogs. In the top of the first Justin LeBron hit a ball to deep center field that everyone in the sold out crowd thought was going to leave the yard. The cooler air and wind blowing in kept it in the park, and neither team came close to scoring for a while after that. Jason Torres followed LeBron and lined a single into left field. Little did we know that would be the Tides only hit until the 8th inning.

Blackwood allowed a two out walk and struck out two in the bottom of the first. Lee had a perfect second and Blackwood worked around a one out walk in the second half. LeBron ended the bottom of the third by snatching a line drive and doubling a runner off of first. Bama threatened in the top of the 4th inning. LeBron walked to start the inning but was erased on a double play rapped into by Torres. When Lee walked Luke Vaughn and hit Brady Neal, he was replaced by Trey Sanders. Sanders walked Will Plattner to load the bases before Peyton Steele lined a ball, at 105 miles an hour, right into third baseman Parker McDonald’s glove to end the threat.

Meanwhile Blackwood was mowing down the Bulldogs on a minimum number of pitches. In the top of the 5th the Tide again wasted a great opportunity. Justin Osterhouse walked to start the inning and moved to second on a ground out by Brennan Holt before moving to third on a wild pitch. LeBron was hit by a pitch with two outs, the stole second base. Torres walked to load the bases again. Vaughn flew out to right field to strand the bases juiced.
Blackwood kept putting up zero’s through the 6th inning. The senior from Decatur finished his night with six innings pitched, two hits allowed, two walks, two strikeouts, and no runs on 64 pitches. The outing was the longest, and best, of Blackwood’s Bama career. Five Bulldog pitchers meanwhile were keeping the Tide off the scoreboard.

Austin Morris replaced Blackwood to begin the 7th inning. Jake Souders led off with an infield single, stole second, and scored on a one out single by Luke Boykin. A wild pitch advanced Boykin to second where he was able to score on a hit by Trey Higgins. Morris recovered to induce a pop out and a strikeout to end the inning. Entering the top of the 8th, the Tide still had only one hit and had stranded eight runners on base. John Malone took over on the mound for the Dogs. Andrew Purdy was hit by a pitch with one out while pinch hitting for Vaughn. Neal lined a single into right field to put runners on the corners. Plattner hit a line drive to centerfield for a sacrifice fly to score Bama’s first run. Steele then drove the first pitch he saw over the right centerfield fence to give the Tide a 3-2 lead.

Redshirt senior Hagan Banks took the mound for Alabama in the bottom of the 8th inning. Banks struck out the first man he saw before allowing a single by Gus Gandy. With Jackson Harris at the plate Gandy was caught stealing by a creative throw by Neal. Banks then struck out Harris to end the frame. The Tide tried to add some insurance in the top of the 9th. With two outs LeBron beat out an infield single, then stole second and third. Torres walked to put runners on the corners, but Purdy grounded out to end the inning.Banks was back out to close out the contest in the bottom of the ninth. Souders lined a lead off single, but Banks bounced back to strike out the next three batters to end the game with the Tide on top.

Alabama hit only 4-28 in the game with eight walks, three hit batters, 10 strikeouts, and left 10 men on base. The Tide threw two wild pitches, stole three bases, and turned two double plays. Steele was 1-4 with the game winning home run, two RBI, and a run scored. LeBron was 1-3 with a walk, a hit by pitch, and three stolen bases. Torres was 1-3 with two walks, and Neal finished 1-3 with a hit by pitch and run scored. Morris was the winner and is 1-0 on the season. Banks earned the save with two innings pitched, two hits allowed, no walks, no runs, and five strikeouts.

The Bulldogs were 7-31 at the plate with two walks, nine strikeouts, and four men left on base. Souders was 2-3 with a walk, a stolen bases, and a run scored. Boykin and Higgins each drove in a run. Malone fell to 1-0 with the loss.

A good win for the Tide in their first road contest. Samford is a good team year after year and are typically fighting for an NCAA berth come May. Bama has to figure out the offensive side of the ball. The pitching has been outstanding the last three games, allowing only four runs over the last 27 innings pitched. LeBron is routinely being pitched around and is going to have to continue to be patient. The star shortstop has reached base 11 times in the team’s four games, despite having only four hits, and has stolen six bases in six attempts, with two home runs and six runs scored.
Next up is a Wednesday, February 18th, afternoon home game against Alabama State at 4 p.m. The game will be available on ESPN Plus.
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