Alabama Crimson Tide Baseball Weekly Report
5/2/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
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Overall Record: 32-14 (.696)
SEC Record: 13-8 (.619) (1st SEC West, 2nd Overall)
Streak: Won 7 of last 9 since April 17th
Last Week: 3-1 (.750)
Alabama 9, South Alabama 8
Alabama 5, Georgia 3
Georgia 4, Alabama 3
Alabama 11, Georgia 9
This Week:
May 4 - UAB (6:36 PM) (CSS)
May 6 - at Mississippi State (6:30 PM)
May 7 - at Mississippi State (6:30 PM)
May 8 - at Mississippi State (1:30 PM)
PLAYER OF THE WEEK NOMINATION
Allen Rice (DH, Sr., Helena, Ala.)
4 G, 4 GS, .467 (7-for-15), 3 R, 2B, 3B, 3 RBI, 2 BB
*Rice was the Crimson Tide’s leading hitter in four game this week as he batted .467 (7-for-15) with three runs scored, one double, one triple and three RBI. He also compiled a .667 slugging percentage and a .667 on-base mark for the week.
*The senior was responsible for the tying or winning run in all three come-from-behind wins this week for Alabama. The Crimson Tide won all three games this week with a dramatic comeback in the bottom of the eighth inning.
*Rice started the week of comebacks with a two-run triple in the eighth inning on Wednesday as Alabama rallied to beat in-state rival South Alabama 9-8. It was Rice’s fourth GW RBI of the season.
*In the Crimson Tide’s 5-3 come-from-behind win over Georgia on Friday, Rice walked and scored the tying run on junior 3B Evan Bush’s game-winning grand slam that lifted the Crimson Tide to the win.
*The on Sunday, Rice capped the week of comebacks with an eighth inning infield single to score Cale Iorg and second Rocky Scelfo to third base with the tying run. After a wild pitch, Rice scored the winning run when senior LF Gabe Scott slugged a two-run blast to right-center field to give Bama the 11-9 win.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK NOMINATION
David Robertson (RHP, Fr., Tuscaloosa)
3 G, 1 GS, 0-0, 3.00 ERA, 2 SV (9 IP, 14 K)
*David Robertson, a candidate for SEC Freshman of the Year and Freshman All-American honors, pitched in three games this week and recorded two saves for the Crimson Tide.
*Robertson earned back-to-back saves against South Alabama and Georgia on April 27 and April 29, giving UA saves in back-to-back games for the first time this season.
*Robertson threw a scoreless ninth inning against South Alabama and added two strikeouts. He added another scoreless inning against Georgia, with one hit and three strikeouts.
*He made his third start of the season on Sunday and logged a season-high seven innings and nine strikeouts in a no decision against Georgia.
*For the season, Robertson has pitched in a team-high 21 games and compiled a 6-2 record with five saves and a 1.79 ERA. He has worked 55 1/3 innings and recorded 80 strikeouts. He is tied with T.J. Large for the most strikeouts on the team.
ALABAMA NOTEBOOK:
*Alabama (32-14, 13-8 SEC) took two of three from Georgia this weekend in Tuscaloosa to earn its fifth SEC series win of the 2005 season. The Crimson Tide won only one SEC series last season, beating Kentucky in the next-to-last series of the year. Alabama has also won all four home series this season after losing all five home series a year ago. In fact, Bama entered the 2005 season with six straight home SEC losses. Alabama is 9-3 in SEC home games this season after winning just four games all of last year.
*Following the series win over Georgia, Alabama has won seven of its last nine games.
*The Alabama-Georgia series was decided by five total runs and in all three games the winning run scored in the eighth inning.
*Alabama used a six-run, eighth inning to beat Georgia in the series finale on May 1. The Crimson Tide has scored six or more runs in an inning eight times this season.
*Alabama has trailed in 34 of its 46 games this season, including all four games this week. In fact, Alabama has trailed in 14 straight SEC games, dating back to an 11-2 loss to LSU on April 2. The last time the Crimson Tide did not trail in an SEC game was a 4-0 win over the Tigers on April 1.
*While falling behind in 34 games this season, Alabama has recorded 20 come-from-behind wins. The Crimson Tide has posted 12 of those 20 wins in the sixth inning or later, including all three wins this week. Bama has nine come-from-behind wins in SEC play. All four of Bama’s games this week were decided in the eighth inning. The Crimson Tide won three of those games, including two wins over Georgia. Junior 3B Evan Bush slugged a game-winning grand slam in the series opener and senior LF Gabe Scott added a game-winning two-run home run in the series finale.
*Alabama concluded the month of April with an 11-6 record. The Crimson Tide batted .295 (175-for-593) in April, with 26 home runs and 106 RBI. Scott was the leading hitter with a .438 (28-for-64) average, with nine home runs and 20 RBI. Scott was also UA’s leading hitter in the month of March.
*Senior LF Gabe Scott was named to the 2005 Dick Howser Watch List on Friday, April 29. The Lake Charles, La., native has also made himself a candidate for SEC Player of the Year and All-America honors. He is batting .421 (53-for-126) in 39 games with 10 home runs and 28 RBI. All 10 of his home runs have come since April 1. In SEC play, Scott is the leading hitter with a .434 (33-for-76) average with seven home runs and 20 RBI.
*Scott has reached base safely in 35 consecutive games, dating back to Feb. 18th. Since Feb. 25, Scott has hit safely in 30 of his last 32 games for the Tide.
*Junior 3B Evan Bush (.286, 13 HR, 44 RBI) hit the second grand slam of his career, slamming a 1-0 fastball over the left field scoreboard into the teeth of a 20+ mile per hour wind off Georgia relief ace Will Starup to give the Crimson Tide a dramatic 5-3 come-from-behind win over the Bulldogs in the SEC series opener on April 29.
*Bush leads Alabama with 13 home runs and 44 RBI in 45 games this season.
*Scott and Bush have combined for 23 home runs and 72 RBI this season.
*Sophomore CF Emeel Salem threw out Georgia right fielder Bobby Felmy at home plate to complete a first-inning double play in the series opener. The Bulldogs loaded the bases with three consecutive singles with no outs before a strikeout and the fly out, double play to Salem. Alabama has 10 outfield assists this season, including two by Salem. Senior RF Morrow Thomley leads UA with five outfield assists.
*Senior Matt Grooms had a pinch-hit single in the Crimson Tide’s dramatic eighth inning that beat Georgia in the series opener. For the season, Grooms is 7-for-14 (.500) as a pinch-hitter. In his two-year career, Grooms is 10-for-19 (.526) as a pinch-hitter.
*Senior LHP Brent Carter notched his fifth win of the season with a scoreless eighth inning against Georgia on April 29. He retired the Bulldogs in order and recorded two strikeouts. Carter made two appearances this weekend and now has 69 career games for UA. The 69 games tie him with Al Drumheller (1991-93) for fourth place all-time.
*Carter now has 284 career strikeouts and is five strikeouts shy of the Alabama career record held by current Arizona Diamondbacks RHP Lane Cormier. Cormier (1999-2002) logged 289 strikeouts in his UA career.
*Alabama starter Wade LeBlanc suffered his third loss of the season on April 30 against Georgia. He worked eight innings and allowed four runs and seven hits, with one walk and nine strikeouts. He also hit one batter. The walk and hit batter accounted for two of the Bulldogs four runs.
*LeBlanc recorded 24 outs in the loss to Georgia and 20 outs came on fly outs (11) and strikeouts (9). In his last two starts, LeBlanc has recorded 51 outs and 42 have come on fly outs (30) and strikeouts (12).
*Freshman SS Cale Iorg saw his 11-game hitting streak end on Saturday, April 30.
*Alabama plays its final non-conference game against UAB this week at the Joe (May 4). The UAB will close out a nine-game home stand for the Tide. The Crimson Tide and Blazers met on Feb 24 at Young Memorial Field in Birmingham earlier this season with UAB claiming a 7-1 win.
*The Crimson Tide will play two of its last three SEC series on the road, including this weekend’s three-game set against long-time SEC West rival Mississippi State at Polk-Dement Stadium at Dudy Noble Field. Alabama’s last series win in Starkville came in 2002, the lone series win in Starkville since the 1990 season.
