TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — On a beautiful Tuesday afternoon at Sewell-Thomas Stadium, the 15th-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide squared off with the UAB Blazers for the second time this season. In a bit of a pitcher’s duel, the Crimson Tide came out on top, 5-3, completing a season sweep after defeating UAB 6-3 in Birmingham on March 11.
Senior starting pitcher Bobby Alcock got the start on the mound for Alabama tonight after being demoted from his role as the regular Game 3 weekend starter. He had been struggling mightily in conference play as of late, and Alabama head coach Rob Vaughn knew this was the kind of outing Alcock needed.
“Like any competitor, Bobby wasn’t thrilled to be taken out of the weekend rotation,” said coach Vaughn. “He would have loved to start this weekend but that guy is a veteran, man. He understood that he needed to get better in areas, and he sure did that tonight.”
Alcock was able to keep UAB in check during the early innings, a phase that has been a major issue for Alabama’s pitching staff recently. In fact, the Crimson Tide took the first lead in a game for the first time since hosting Samford on April 1. In the second inning, first baseman Will Hodo was able to poke a dribbler up the middle to score Jason Torres, who reached on a leadoff walk.
The Blazer offense responded quickly in the third inning, tying the game at 1-1 with an RBI single from Logan Braunschweig. Alcock managed to settle in and keep the UAB lineup in check for the rest of his outing before being pulled with two outs in the fourth. His final line: 3.2 innings pitched, four hits, one earned run, two walks, and two strikeouts.
In the fifth, the Blazers put pressure on the basepaths with a rally sparked by Coulson Buchanan, eventually taking their first, and only, lead of the game on a sacrifice fly from Wesley Helms. But it didn’t last long. In the bottom half of the inning, Brennen Norton crushed a two-run homer to right-center, his seventh of the year, to put Alabama back on top, 3-2. It was a huge moment for Norton, who had been in a slump and hadn’t recorded a hit since March 21.
The Blazers tied things up once again in the seventh inning after a pair of singles led to a run, making it 3-3 off Alabama left-hander Beau Bryans. But just like in the fifth, Alabama wasted no time reclaiming the lead in the bottom half of the inning. Garrett Staton launched a solo home run, his fourth of the season, to put the Tide back in front. Later in the frame, Richie Bonomolo Jr. added insurance with an RBI double, extending Alabama’s lead to 5-3.
The Tide bullpen handed Carson Ozmer a two-run cushion in the ninth, and he was absolute nails as usual, locking down his 12th save of the season. Alabama’s bullpen was solid behind Alcock, allowing just two runs across five different arms. Coulson Buchanan, Beau Bryans, Aeden Finateri, JT Blackwood, and Ozmer each tossed an inning to close out the win.
Offensively, Garrett Staton and Brennen Norton both went deep and collected two hits apiece. Tommy Hodo and Richie Bonomolo Jr. each added a hit and an RBI, while Brady Neal chipped in with a hit of his own.
With the win, Alabama improves to 30-8 on the season. The Tide now sit just above .500 in SEC play at 8-7 and will have their hands full this weekend as they head to Baton Rouge for a three-game series against No. 9 LSU.
