TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – On a very windy Tuesday night, the No. 23 Alabama Crimson Tide dominated Jacksonville State, 11-1, to complete the season sweep of their in-state rivals. The Tide offense erupted for 11 runs on 15 hits, and the pitching staff limited the Gamecocks to just one run on four hits.
The Crimson Tide offense saw three players turn in three-hit performances. Leadoff hitter Bryce Fowler went 3-for-6 with two RBIs, while Kade Snell delivered a 3-for-4 night with two runs scored and an RBI—he is now 5 for his last 6 in the seven hole. Richie Bonomolo Jr. also went 3-for-4 from the nine spot, scoring three times and extending his scorching stretch to 13 hits in his last 17 at-bats.
Alabama’s 7-8-9 hitters combined to go 8-for-12, effectively flipping the lineup all night. Will Plattner delivered in the eight spot, going 2-for-4 with two RBIs. And, of course, no discussion of the Tide offense is complete without Justin Lebron. The superstar shortstop went 1-for-4 and drove in four more runs, increasing his nation-leading RBI total to 32 on the season.
The final score doesn’t tell the whole story. Jacksonville State kept things close for much of the game, entering the sixth inning down just 3-1. The Gamecocks even held the Tide to a tie heading into the third, keeping the pressure on before Alabama pulled away late.
As for Alabama’s pitching, Georgia Tech transfer Aeden Finateri made his first start in an Alabama uniform after logging relief innings earlier this season. The senior went 2.1 innings, allowing three hits and one run while recording one walk and two strikeouts.
Braylon Myers was lights out in relief, shutting the door in key moments. He entered the game in a bases-loaded situation, hitting a batter to force in a run before Richie Bonomolo Jr. made a clutch catch in center field and doubled off the Gamecocks at the plate to end the inning. The junior continues to be an X-factor for the Tide on both sides of the ball.
Tate Robertson delivered arguably his best outing of the year behind Myers. The Shelton State transfer tossed three scoreless innings, allowing no hits while recording one walk and one strikeout. Ariston Veasey took the mound in the ninth and sealed the win in dominant fashion, striking out all three batters he faced to cap off Alabama’s victory.
“[Aden] Finateri gave us a great start and [Braylon] Myers, [Tate] Robertson and [Ariston] Veasey were elite out of the ‘pen,” said Alabama Head Coach Rob Vaughn.
As mentioned earlier, Alabama’s pitching staff held Jacksonville State to just one run on four hits. The Tide arms were dominant, limiting the Gamecocks to just 1-for-15 with runners on base and 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position. Jax State had no answers against Alabama’s pitching all night.
The weather played a major role in tonight’s game, with near 50 mph gusts blowing in from right field, denying at least three or four potential home runs. In last week’s matchup between these teams in Tuscaloosa, Alabama’s offense clubbed six homers in a 20-11 slugfest. This time, with the wind holding balls in play, neither team managed to leave the yard.
“The weather was wild, but the boys were locked in and won it with a lot of toughness. Proud of the way our guys went about their business tonight,” said Coach Vaughn.
NEXT: No. 23 Alabama hosts No. 19 Troy on Wednesday at 4 p.m. CT in the first top-25 matchup at Sewell-Thomas Stadium this season. The Tide looks to secure its second ranked win of the year after defeating then-No. 12 NC State on February 22.
