FROM ALABAMA MEDIA RELATIONS
05-13-17 MBA vs Florida
Alabama baseball player Tyler Adams (42)
Photo by Amelia B. Barton
05-13-17 MBA vs Florida
Alabama baseball player Tyler Adams (42)
Photo by Amelia B. Barton
“I thought we really competed,” said Alabama head coach Greg Goff. “They had a bunch of big two-out hits. They’re the fifth-ranked team in the country for a reason, and they played like it tonight. Every time we scored, they answered. That’s what good teams do. I thought our guys competed their rear ends off tonight, we just ran out of bullets on the mound.”
Florida grabbed an early one-run lead after a half inning, but Alabama answered back with three runs in the home half of the first to take the lead. The Gators moved in front thanks to a four-run third, but UA hung around and cut the deficit to one in the bottom of the sixth before stranding the tying and go-ahead runs on second and third to end the inning. Florida went on to rally for seven runs across the seventh and eighth to put the game out of reach.
Florida struck first in Saturday’s contest, scoring one in the top of the first. The Gators used a one-out double followed by a flyout to place a runner on third. After a walk put men on the corners, a single in the next at-bat scored the game’s first run to give Florida a 1-0 advantage.
Alabama responded in the next half inning, plating three runs to grab the lead. With one down, Kyle Kaufman reached on a hit-by-pitch. One out later, Chandler Taylor singled to right to put men on first and third. Hunter Alexander followed with a single of his own to score Kaufman and make it a 1-1 affair. A wild pitch allowed Taylor to cross before Alex Webb delivered an RBI-single to score the inning’s third and final run and give Alabama the 3-1 lead after an inning of play.
The Gators answered back in the third with four runs to regain the lead. A leadoff walk followed by a double placed a pair of runners in scoring position before a bases-clearing double scored two to even the contest at three apiece. After a groundout advanced the man to third, a sacrifice fly brought one more across. A double one batter later plated another run to push the score to 5-3 in favor of UF.
Florida used a two-out rally in the fifth to extend the lead to 6-3. A walk with two down followed by a single placed runners on the corners. A double in the next at-bat scored one for the Gators, but Alabama limited the damage, cutting the runner down at the plate on a relay from left field to end the inning.
The Tide struck for two in the sixth to trim the deficit and make it a 6-5 game. Cobie Vance led off with a walk before coming across to score on an RBI-double from Taylor. Alexander walked in the next at-bat, before Webb collected his second hit of the day with a double to bring one man in and make it a one-run game. UA had runners on second and third with no outs following Webb’s double, but was unable to capitalize on the opportunity.
In the top of the seventh, the Gators put up four runs on four hits to move their lead to 10-5. Alabama added one in the bottom of the inning to narrow the gap. Cody Henry began the sequence, reaching on an error by the second baseman before advancing to second on a wild pitch. After moving up to third on a groundout, Henry came across to score on a sacrifice fly from Taylor to make it a 10-6 ballgame. In the eighth, Florida plated three more runs to make it 13-6 and put the game out of reach.
Taylor and Webb led the Crimson Tide in hitting, each finishing 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI, while Taylor added a walk and a pair of runs scored to his totals.
The two teams return to the diamond for the series finale on Sunday with the game scheduled for a 3 p.m. CT first pitch on SEC Network. Alabama will look to senior right-hander Nick Eicholtz in the start while Florida counters with sophomore Jackson Kowar, a righty. Sunday will be the Crimson Tide’s “Senior Day” honoring the team’s four seniors: Tanner DeVinny, Eicholtz, Mike Oczypok and Taylor Poe.
