The 8th ranked Alabama Crimson Tide made quick work of the Samford Bulldogs on Tuesday night at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. Bama won in run rule fashion with a 16-2 win in seven innings. Alabama improved to 26-8 with their 18th straight win at home. Samford fell to to 14-17 with the loss. Coach Rob Vaughn won his 100th game at Alabama faster than any coach in Tide history, needing only 150 games to do so. Vaughn joined the legendary Jim Wells as the only Bama coaches to win 100 games in only three seasons or less.
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The Tide shook up their lineup with a pair of freshman, Eric Hines and Chase Kroberger both drew starting assignments. Both were major contributors in the game. Hines was the teams DH and Kroeberger manned left field. Senior right hander JT blackwood was the starting pitcher for Alabama against right hander Will Andre for Samford.
Blackwood allowed a one out single in the first to Jake Souders, who then stole second base. Cade Carr flew to right field for out two to bring Trey Higgins to the plate. Higgins lifted a fly ball to short left field. Kroeberger was charging in from left field while Justin LeBron was sprinting out from shortstop. Kroeberger went low and LeBron stayed high, and somehow made the running grab with his back to the plate to end the inning.
The Tide took control in the bottom of the 1st inning. Bryce Fowler led off with a double and moved to third on a single by LeBron. Brady Neal was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Jason Torres ripped a single up the middle to score two runs. After a strikeout for out one, Hines ripped a single to left to drive in the third run of the inning. Luke Vaughn walked to load the bases bringing Kroberger to the plate. Kroeberger hit a ball up the middle that looked like would be a base hit. Carr made a great play and got a force out at second base, but a run scored for a 4-0 lead.
Samford was able to plate two runs in the top of the second. Gus Gandy hit a one out single and scored on a two out double by Jackson Harris. Parker McDonald singled to score Harris, making the score 4-2. Blackwood picked McDonald off first base to end the inning. Andrew Marble pitched the 2nd for Samford and put the Tide down in order. Blackwood had a perfect third with a strikeout.
Bama piled on in the bottom of the third. Torres led off with a single off of Marble. After a fly out by Johnny Lemm, Hines had another single. Vaughn then blasted his 6th home run of the year for a 7-2 lead. Kroeberger followed with a drive that just cleared the left field wall for his first hit-and first home run- as a member of the Tide, and a 8-2 lead.
Blackwood allowed a single Pierce Dutton in the top of the 4th, but then snared a ball hit up the middle and started a double on a throw to LeBron at second. In the bottom half the Tide got a two out triple from Torres on a ball that hit the top of the fence but stayed in the park. Torres was stranded to keep the score at 8-2. Blackwood gave up a one out double to Harris in the 5th, then after retiring McDonald for the second out, was replaced by Connor Lehman, Lehman needed two pitches to end the inning with a fly out.
In the bottom of the 5th the Tide put up their third four spot of the game. Hines led off and was hit by a pitch. Vaughn and Kroeberger both walked to load the bases. After Brennan Holt struck out for the first out, Fowler hit into a force play to drive in a run. LeBron pulled an RBI single to left and with Neal up pulled off a double steal with Fowler. The stolen bag gave LeBron 25 steals in 25 attempts this season and 49-50 in his career. Neal hit a lazy fly ball to left field that Higgins dropped, allowing Fowler and LeBron to score. Neal was gunned down trying to reach second base, ending the inning with Bama leading 12-2.
Lehman was back in the 6th for Bama and struck out the first batter he faced. The next two batters reached on an error and a walk. Dutton laced a line drive that LeBron snared close to second base, and quickly stepped on the bag to double up Carr and end the inning.
Bama had their 4th four run inning of the night in the bottom half of the sixth. Lemm took a pitch the other way for a single to left. Hines then wowed the crowd with an opposite field blast into the visitors bullpen for a two run home run, his second of the year. Andrew Purdy pinch hit for Vaughn and lined to centerfield for the second out. Kroeberger and pinch hitter JoJo Williamson both walked bringing Fowler to the plate. Fowler smacked a double to centerfield to drive in the pair to make the score 16-2. Anthony Pesci was called in for the Tide to pitch the 7th inning. After a lead off walk Pesci wrapped two strikeouts around a fly out to end the game early by run rule.
Alabama hit 16-31 in the game with five walks, two hit batters, three home runs, a double, a triple, three stolen bases, six strikeouts, and six left on base. Hines led the way with his 3-3 night with a hit by pitch, home run, three RBI, and three runs scored. Torres was 3-4 with a triple, two runs, and two runs driven in. LeBron was 2-5 with an RBI, stolen base, and two runs scored. Kroeberger was 1-2 with a home run, two walks, two runs, and two RBI. Vaughn was 1-1 with a home run, three RBI, two walks, and two runs. Fowler finished 2-5 with two doubles, two runs scored, three runs driven in and a stolen base. Blackwood was the winner and moved to 1-1 on the season.
Samford hit 6-25 with two walks, six strikeouts, a double, a stolen base, and left four men on base. Andre absorbed the loss and fell to 1-1 on the year. Harris was 2-2 with two doubles, a run and an RBI.
This was the best midweek performance by the Tide in all aspects. The “‘Young Pups” as Vaughn calls them pumped some life into the lineuo that had gone stale after the first two inning of the Oklahoma series on last Thursday night. Hines has certainly earned an opportunity at more playing time and Kroeberger has some juice in his bat and his legs. Bama welcomes the always dangerous Arkansas Razorbacks to Tuscaloosa this weekend for three games. Friday’s game one is at 6 p.m., Saturday the teams will play at 4 p.m., and the series finale is at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
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