Bama Baseball Team Hosts Butler on Wednesday
3/16/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
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Game 20: BUTLER BULLDOGS (2-7) at ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE (14-5)
SEWELL-THOMAS STADIUM (6,118)
TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA -- 6:30 PM
MARCH 16, 2005
ON THE MOUND: BU -- Bryan Bokowy or Jim Kyntych vs. UA - RH 19 David Robertson (7 G, 0 GS, 2-0, 0.00 ERA)
RADIO/TV: The Alabama-Butler game will be broadcast through the Crimson Tide Sports Network and will be aired locally in Tuscaloosa on THE TUSK (WACT, 1420-AM). Veteran play-by-play announcer David Crane will describe the action from the Joe this Wednesday night.
Date Game Time Radio/TV
March 16 vs. Butler 6:30 PM CTSN, WACT (1420 AM)
March 18 vs. Kentucky 6:30 PM CTSN, WACT (1420 AM)
March 19 vs. Kentucky 4 PM WACT (1420 AM)
March 20 vs. Kentucky Noon CTSN, WACT (1420 AM)
INTERNET BROADCAST: Live audio broadcasts and live stats can be found at www.rolltide.com.
TICKETS: All tickets for the Alabama-Butler game are just one dollar. Tickets to all other Bama home games are $5 and can be purchased at the Sewell-Thomas Stadium box office two hours prior to each home game.
ALABAMA HOSTS BUTLER WEDNESDAY NIGHT
After dropping its first non-conference home series since 1994, the Alabama Crimson Tide (14-5) baseball team looks to rebound as they host the Butler Bulldogs (2-7) on Wednesday, March 16 at 6:30 p.m. at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. Alabama lost two out of three at home this past weekend to a scrappy Miami team and saw its streak of 34 consecutive home, non-SEC series win come to and end with an 11-10, 10-inning loss in Sunday's rubber game. The Crimson Tide and Redhawks played three, hard-fought one-run games this weekend at the Joe. Miami won the opener 5-4, while Alabama rallied from a 7-2 deficit in the eighth inning to claim an 8-7 win in game two. Miami is the first non-conference team to beat Alabama in a three-game series in Tuscaloosa since the Notre Dame Figthing Irish took two out of three from on Mar. 10-12, 1994. The Crimson Tide won the series with Michigan State the following week and then won its first 33 non-conference home series under coach Jim Wells since the 1995 season. Butler is in the midst of an eight-game road trip through the state of Alabama. The Alabama game will be their fifth game in five days on the current road swing. The Bulldogs were swept by Birmingham Southern in a three-game series and plays at UAB on Tuesday night. Butler plays at Samford this weekend.
BAMA BASEBALL DIAMOND NOTES
Alabama has won 13 of its last 16 games since February 13th ... Entering the week, Alabama is ninth in the league in hitting (.315), second in ERA (2.29) and 11th in fielding (.954) ... The Crimson Tide offense also leads the league in triples (9) and double plays (19) ... The pitching staff leads the league in opponents batting average (.195), strikeouts (222), pickoffs (8), wild pitches (20), hit batters (17) and balks (6) ... Junior 3B Evan Bush is second in the SEC with six home runs and third with 23 RBI ... He is on pace to hit 18 home runs and drive in 69 runs this season ... The Crimson Tide offense has generated 33 hits in the last two games, the most total hits in consecutive games this season ... In the last five games, Alabama is batting .362 (71-for-196) with six home runs run and 48 RBI ... Bama has 23 extra base hits in the last five games, including 14 doubles and three triples ... The Crimson Tide is averaged 10.6 runs and 14.2 hits over the last five games ... In its last two weekend series, Alabama is hitting .345 (77-for-223) with eight home runs and 48 RBI against McNeese State and Miami (Ohio) ... Senior RF Morrow Thomley has six hits in his last seven at-bats over his last two games ... He tied the UA record with five hits on March 13th ... Freshman SS Cale Iorg (4-for-5, 3 RBI) had three doubles on Sunday ... Thomley and Iorg were a combined 9-for-11 (.818) with 5 RBI in Sunday's loss ...
SCOUTING REPORT: Butler Bulldogs
*The Butler Bulldogs (2-7) have lost seven of the first nine games to open the season.
*The Bulldogs are in the midst of an eight-game spring break trip through the state of Alabama.
*Butler was swept in a three-game series at Birmingham Southern this past Saturday, Sunday and Monday and played at UAB on Tuesday night.
*Following the Alabama game, Butler plays a three-game series this weekend at Samford, with a single-game on Friday and double header on Saturday.
*The Bulldogs are batting .263 (87-for-331) through nine games with three home runs and 43 RBI.
*Butler averages 5.3 runs and 9.7 hits per game.
*Sophomore infielder Matt Ferguson (Indianapolis, Ind.) is the leading hitter with a .389 (7-for-18) with two RBI in six games.
*Freshman third baseman Alex Rinearson (Fort Wayne, Ind.) has been a pleasant surprise this season.
*Rinearson is the second-leading hitter with a .375 (12-for-32) in eight games with one home run and a team best 11 RBI.
*Rinearson was 6-for-9 (.667) with five RBI in the three-game series at Birmingham Southern.
*Senior outfielder Dale Mueller (LaCrosse, Wisc.) has been solid this season with a .300 (12-for-40) in nine games with six RBI.
*On the mound, Butler is 2-7 with a 7.04 ERA early in the season. The staff has worked 78 innings and allowed 105 hits, 80 runs and 61 earned runs, with 37 walks and 55 strikeouts in nine games.
*Freshman Jon Dages (Indianapolis, Ind.) leads the club with four appearances in the first nine games. Dages (1-0, 5.62) has worked eight innings and allowed seven hits, five runs and five earned runs, with six walks and seven strikeouts.
*Dages earned his first career win against Xavier (Mar. 9) with 3 2/3 scoreless innings in a 4-3 win. He allowed one hit, walked three and struck out two batters.
*Another freshman Bryan Bokowy (Muster, Ind.) has compiled a 0-1 record and 5.23 ERA in two starts this season.
*In 10 1/3 innings, he has allowed 14 hits, eight runs and six earned runs, with two walks and 12 strikeouts.
*He started the first game of the road trip at Birmingham Southern on Mar. 12 and is expected to take the mound against Alabama on Wednesday.
*Junior Craig Costello (LaPorte, Ind.) and freshman Brian Deter (Indianapolis, Ind.) have started three games each for the Bulldogs.
*Costello is 0-2 with a 7.53 ERA. He has worked 14 1/3 innings and allowed 19 hits, 18 runs, 12 earned runs, with five walks and three strikeouts.
*Deter is 0-0 with an 8.76 ERA. He has worked 12 1/3 innings and allowed 19 hits, 12 runs, 12 earned runs, with seven walks and nine strikeouts.
*Butler has struggled on defense this season. The Bulldogs have made 22 errors (.936) in nine games.
*Rinearson has made six errors in 15 chances at third base to lead the team in errors.
*Shortstop Stephen Gill has made four errors (.867) to rank second on the team.
