On Day 2 of the Jax Baseball Classic (JCBC) in Jacksonville, Fla., the Alabama Crimson Tide shut out No. 12 NC State, 4-0, to improve to a perfect 7-0 on the season. The Tide will now look to claim the JCBC title tomorrow morning against Ohio State.
Alabama’s pitching staff, led by Riley Quick (2-0), set the tone as he allowed just one hit over four innings to earn the win. His final line: 4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K. The Tide’s pitchers limited NC State to just three hits and held the Wolfpack to 0-for-11 with runners on base.
“He really set the tone and honestly got better as the night went along. I thought his best stuff might have been in the third and fourth, but he was outstanding,” said Alabama head coach Rob Vaughn of Quick.
Offensively, Alabama struck early with singles from first baseman Will Hodo and left fielder Kade Snell, followed by a double down the left-field line from catcher Will Plattner to put the Tide on the board.
The Tide added to their lead in the fourth inning when second baseman Brennen Norton crushed a solo home run 400 feet, clearing the scoreboard in left-center field.
In the sixth and seventh innings, Alabama tacked on runs three and four with a Richie Bonomolo Jr. RBI single and a wild pitch that scored Justin Lebron.
Eight of the nine Crimson Tide offensive starters recorded a hit on the evening, and Kade Snell had two of them. Bryce Fowler extended his season-long hitting streak to seven games with a knock in his last at-bat of the day in the eighth inning.
Behind Riley Quick, Matthew Heigberger followed with two strong innings, allowing just one hit and striking out one. Hagan Banks took over in the seventh, giving up one hit while striking out two over 1.2 innings.
“The theme of the night was really how we threw the baseball. [Matthew] Heiberger was outstanding, [Hagan] Banks was outstanding…the guys just competed,” said Coach Vaughn.
NC State’s biggest scoring opportunities came in the eighth and ninth innings when they put multiple runners on base. In the eighth, Connor Ball entered to record the final out but threw a wild pitch and issued a walk before being pulled for Carson Ozmer.
In the ninth, Ozmer found himself in a tight spot after allowing two walks but remained composed and closed out the game with little trouble. He recorded the final four outs to secure the victory and his second save of the season.
“[Carson] Ozmer came in and didn’t even have his best stuff against the lefties, but he’s a vet. He just competed through it,” said Coach Vaughn of Ozmer.
NEXT: Alabama wraps up the Jax Baseball Classic on Sunday at 10 a.m. CT against Ohio State, aiming for a perfect 3-0 weekend and the JCBC title.
