No. 16-ranked Alabama baseball hung on for a nail-biting 4-3 win over Jacksonville State Tuesday night, securing its eighth consecutive win.
The Crimson Tide got the scoring started in the top half of the second inning. Third baseman Jason Torres ripped a leadoff single. Designated hitter John Lemm followed with a two-run homer, his fifth of the year, giving the Crimson Tide a 2-0 advantage and ending Gamecocks starter Josh Sibley’s day.
There was an opportunity for the Crimson Tide to tack on a couple more runs later in the frame with the bases loaded and one out, but center fielder Bryce Fowler popped out, and shortstop Justin Lebron flew out to straightaway center field.
Plus a couple more scoring opportunities in the third and fourth innings, but left two runners on base in both innings, as the Crimson Tide stranded seven runners on base in the first four innings.
Crismon Tide starting pitcher JT Blackwood retired seven straight Gamecocks hitters after surrendering a two-out base knock in the first inning before handing the ball over to freshman Luke Smyers for the bottom of the fourth. Smyers faced the minimum thanks to a beautiful 6-4-3 double play followed by his first strikeout of the night.
Blackwood tossed three shutout innings, allowing just one hit and no walks, and he struck out a pair on 49 pitches.
In the top of the fifth inning, the Crimson Tide finally came through with a big two-out knock thanks to left fielder Justin Osterhouse, who drove in the hustling Lemm with an RBI double, making it 3-0.
Smyers remained in for the bottom half of the inning and quickly retired the first two hitters he faced before surrendering a pinch-hit solo shot to Sam Richardson, cutting the Crimson Tide’s lead to 3-1.
Austin Morris replaced Smyers on the mound in the bottom half of the sixth and worked a 1-2-3 inning on just 10 pitches. Morris came back out and surrendered an RBI single to Grayson Ashe, making it 3-2. The run was unearned due to an error from Lebron.
Owen Sarna replaced Morris on the mound with two runners on and one out. On the only batter Morris faced, he induced a groundout, putting two runners in scoring position. Left-hander Connor Lehman took over for Sarna and picked up the final out of the seventh to keep the Crimson Tide’s lead intact.
Righty Bobby Alcock came in relief for Lehman in the bottom half of the eighth and loaded the bases with one out, before left-hander Evan Steckmesser took over. Steckmesser walked Ashe to force in the tying run.
Infielder Caleb Johnson tried pulling off a delayed steal of home, but Steckmesser and catcher Will Plattner were ready for it, gunning down Johnson at the plate, sending this game to the ninth tied at 3-3.
With two outs in the top of the ninth, right fielder Brady Neal demolished a solo shot to straightaway center field, his sixth of the year, to give the Crimson Tide the lead right back at 4-3.
“Just one of those games. Huge swing by Brady, great job by our pitching staff,” head coach Rob Vaughn said. “I thought we left some stuff on the table, some meat on the bone there early, but we get the big swing from John Lemm there in the second. We loaded the bases and couldn’t cash in, had another with second and third with one out, and couldn’t cash in.”
Steckmesser remained in the game for the bottom of the ninth inning and recorded the final three outs to secure the victory for the Crimson Tide.
“Steckmesser bent but didn’t break,” Vaughn said. “A good win on the road, and now we head home, head to Norman and get back to work.”
The Crimson Tide used six different relievers Tuesday to finish off the win and close out the final six innings. Steckmesser was credited with his first win of the season and first in an Alabama uniform.
“Their numbers may not have been called a crazy amount of times up to this point this year, but we ain’t getting through 56 games without those guys getting big outs in big spots,” Vaughn said. “The more they execute in some of the roles they are given, the more you give them bigger roles.”
The Crimson Tide will be back in action Thursday night in Norman, Oklahoma, taking on the No. 11-ranked Sooners. The first pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT on SECN+.
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