Alabama baseball split the first two games of the series with Washington State but took the final game to win the series.
After dropping the season opener on Friday night, Alabama bounced back, outscoring Washington State by a combined 19-2 to win both games of Saturday’s doubleheader. The opening series was set to end with a Sunday finale, but due to rain in the forecast on Sunday, the game was pushed up to Saturday. The Crimson Tide move to 2-1 on the season, winning their first series of the year.
Here’s a recap of the weekend series.
Game One:
Alabama dropped its opening game of the season 8-4 against Washington State, snapping a 19-game streak of opening weekend wins and an 11-game opening day wins.
Junior shortstop and Golden Spikes Watch List selection Justin Lebron finished 1-for-3, punctuating his season debut with a two-run blast to right in the ninth. Lebron also reached base twice more via walks in his five plate appearances. Bryce Fowler provided the most consistency at the plate, turning in a multi-hit performance with two singles. The rest of the Tide’s scoring came from Peyton Steele, who cracked an RBI double in the second, and Jason Torres, who drew a bases-loaded walk in the fifth.
Opening Day starter Tyler Fay fell to 0-1, taking the loss after a shaky 3.2-inning outing. Fay surrendered five earned runs on five hits despite fanning seven batters. Relievers JT Blackwood and Austin Morris each gave up a run in relief, but the bright spot in the bullpen was Sam Mitchell. Mitchell dominated over 2.0 scoreless frames, retiring six of the seven hitters he faced and picking up two strikeouts.
Game Two:
Alabama bounced back from its 8-4 Opening Day loss with a convincing victory in the first game of the Saturday doubleheader.
Sophomore left-hander Zane Adams delivered a dominant performance on the hill, racking up nine strikeouts over 5.0 innings to earn the win. The Alabama bullpen closed the game, allowing just one run on three hits over the final four innings to secure the win.
Miami transfer Jason Torres had a standout performance at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two RBI, while Luke Vaughn notched his first career home run and drove in two runs. Brady Neal and Brennan Holt both record a hit and an RBI each.
Game Three:
With an 11-1 win in the series finale, the Crimson Tide clinched the series victory with Saturday’s double-header sweep.
Freshman Myles Upchurch impressed in his collegiate debut. Myles recorded his first career win, tallying nine strikeouts in four innings of shutout ball. Four pitchers from the Alabama bullpen pitched the final three innings to seal the victory, allowing just one run on three hits.
Middle infielders Justin Lebron and Brennan Holt both launched solo home runs in the series finale. Andrew Purdy and Brady Neal knocked in three runs each to lead the Crimson Tide offense to an easy run-rule victory.
Alabama will travel to Samford for a midweek matchup on Tuesday at 4 p.m.
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