By outreach@cw.ua.edu (Elliott Propes)
After being shutout by UAB 8-0 earlier in the season, Alabama baseball had revenge at home Tuesday night with a late 7-6 victory.
In the bottom of the eighth inning the game was tied 6-6. UAB had come all the way back from a 6-2 deficit in the first half of the inning. Now it was Alabama’s turn to answer. With two outs and a runner on first, Chandler Avant hit a long fly ball to the left-center warning track. It hung in the air long enough for someone to make a play, but both outfielders arrived there at the same time. The confusion led to the ball dropping in-between the two. The runner scored and Avant stood at third with an RBI triple.
“I was rounding second when I saw him drop it. I got a little help from that,” Avant said. “It’s a good feeling.”
Alabama had some clutch hitting with six of Alabama’s seven runs being knocked in with two outs on the board. Alabama had two outs with two on in the first inning, when a costly throwing error by UAB’s shortstop allowed the first run of the game to score. Alabama went on to take advantage of the extra out and scored three more runs in the inning. Alabama tacked on another insurance run in the fifth inning and then scored another with two outs in the sixth. The 6-2 lead would not last though as UAB tied it up in the eighth with five hits and a walk in the inning.
“However you get [runs], you take them, but obviously two-out hits are big,” Gaspard said. “Some keys guys for us that had some struggles on the front part of the season look like they are taking some steps forward. When they can do that, that’s when the offense starts becoming a little more complete for us.”
Alabama will host Ole Miss for a three game series this weekend. Right now Alabama is tied for third in the SEC West with Ole Miss at 6-6 in conference play.
Source:: The Crimson White Sports
