Alabama
Mississippi
Mississippi Rallies Past Alabama Baseball Team, 8-7
3/20/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 20, 2009
OXFORD, Miss. - After scoring three runs in the top of the ninth inning to take a two-run lead, No. 24 Alabama gave up three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning, as No. 12 Mississippi rallied for an 8-7 win in front of 6,844 fans at Swayze Field Friday night.
The Rebels (14-4, 3-1 SEC) scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning off UA closer Jimmy Nelson, including pinch-runner Kyle Henson's winning run on a two-out wild pitch to give the Rebels their fifth straight win.
Nelson (1-2) suffered his second blown save of the season after allowing three runs on one hit, with two walks and hit batter in the fatal ninth inning.
Matt Smith started the inning with a leadoff double to right, before Nelson struck out Evan Button. Kevin Mort, who fell behind 0-2, coaxed a 3-2 walk and Nelson hit pinch-hitter Matt Snyder in the left foot with a two-strike breaking ball to load the bases. Jordan Henry drew a bases loaded walk to score Smith and cut the lead to 7-6. Backup left fielder Zach Miller rolled a slow ground ball to second base for the second out to score Mort with the tying run. Nelson then misfired on a 1-2 pitch and Henson trotted home with the winning run.
Alabama (14-6, 2-2 SEC) scored three runs in the top of the ninth inning, capped by a two-run single by second baseman Ross Wilson, to take a 7-5 lead off All-American closer Scott Bittle, who gave up three runs and walked six batters in the game.
Alex Kubal stroked a one-out single to left and the Tide loaded the bases on back-to-back walks to Taylor Dugas and Josh Rutledge. Wilson, who fouled off two, two-strike pitches, then smashed a two-run double down the left field line to give UA its only lead of the game.
"We match up well with anybody position player wise," Wells said. "We had a base running error that cost us a run. We threw a ball in left field that cost us a run. Everything counts it's just at the end when you have a two-run lead and lose it that is all anyone remembers."
Rory McKean (3-1), who replaced Bittle, got the final two outs in the ninth as UA stranded two more base runners to keep it a two-run game.
Alabama fell behind 4-0 in the second inning and trailed 5-2 in the seventh inning before putting the go-ahead runs on base in the eighth inning with three straight walks against Bittle.
Rutledge started the rally with a one-out double to chase starter Drew Pomeranz. Jake Morgan came on and got Wilson on an infield ground out for the second out, before turning the game over to their All-American closer.
Bittle walked Kent Matthes on four pitches and then issued a walk to Brandon May on a 3-2 pitch to load the bases. UA pinch-hitter Tyler Odle drew a bases-loaded walk on a 3-2 pitch to score Rutledge from third base and make the score 5-4. Jake Smith, who already had a double and home run, strolled to the plate, but struck out on four pitches to end the inning, leaving the Tide one-run short.
Mississippi (14-4, 3-1 SEC) built a 4-0 lead after two innings, scoring one run on two errors in the first and adding three more in the second inning. The Rebels scored a run in the bottom of the first inning, aided by two Crimson Tide errors. Henry, the Rebels leadoff man, reached on an error by Rutledge to start the game and moved into scoring position on Tim Ferguson's fly ball to left field. Henry scored five pitches later when he stole third base and advanced home when Vin DiFazio's throw sailed into left field.
Mississippi plated three more runs in the second inning to take a 4-0 lead. Mort had a two-run double and Henry added a two-out RBI single.
"We started the game off slow," Wells added. "We were very tentative, but we played the last half of the game really hard and really well."
Alabama put an unearned run on the board in the third inning to cut the margin to 4-1. Smith ripped a double off the right field wall to lead off the inning and moved to third base on Kubal's infield ground out. Dugas reached on a two-out error by Ferguson to score Smith from third.
The Crimson Tide missed out on a chance to get a run closer in the fourth inning when Ross Wilson was thrown out at home on Kent Matthes' ground ball to third base. Wilson had opened the inning with a triple into the right field corner.
Alabama cut the lead to 4-2 in the fifth inning when Smith launched his sixth home run of the season over the wall in right-center field. Kubal reached on an infield single, but was thrown out stealing second base on the very next pitch. The caught stealing loomed large as Dugas' laced a double to right on the next pitch that would have easily scored Kubal from first base.
Logan Power's two-out single to left scored Henry in the bottom of the fifth inning to give the Rebels a 5-2 lead.
DiFazio's third home run of the season, a two-out, solo shot to left-center field, made it a 5-3 game in the seventh inning to set up the eighth and ninth inning drama.
Alabama and Mississippi will meet in game two of the series on Saturday, March 21, at 1:30 p.m. (CST) in Oxford.
