Tuesday Matchup Sends Baseball to Samford
4/8/2019 4:25:00 PM | Baseball
The Crimson Tide and Bulldogs will meet for the 107th time in series history on Tuesday evening
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama heads to Birmingham on Tuesday to square off with Samford, kickstarting a five-game roadtrip for the Crimson Tide. The two in-state foes are scheduled for a 6 p.m. CT first pitch at Joe Lee Griffin Field. Fans can catch the midweek pairing live on ESPN+.
FOLLOW THE TIDE
Fans can follow the Tuesday's game via the below outlets:
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: 102.9 FM / CTSN / TuneIn App
Twitter: @AlabamaBSB
Live Stats: SamfordSportds.com
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUP
TUESDAY: UA – Garret Rukes (R-So., LHP) vs. SAM – Hamp Skinner (Jr., LHP)
LEADING OFF
• Alabama and Samford will meet for the 107th time in series history when the two teams square off in midweek action on Tuesday night at Joe Lee Griffin Field. The Crimson Tide holds the all-time series lead, 91-15, as well as an 18-6 advantage in Birmingham.
• The Tide and the Bulldogs met for two games in 2018, splitting the series at 1-1. Alabama cruised to a 13-3 win in Birmingham on Feb. 27 before falling, 6-0, to the Bulldogs in Tuscaloosa on April 17. Game one featured a six-run ninth to put the game out of reach and give the Tide the 10-run win. That first matchup saw the UA offense tally 10 hits while the pitching staff struck out 11, a then-season-high mark. In the second pairing, the Bulldogs gained a 2-0 advantage after the first. Samford widened the gap in the third with one run before posting two more scores in the ninth to secure the 6-0 win.
• Alabama calls on redshirt sophomore Garret Rukes in the Tuesday contest. The left-hander has made nine appearances on the season with one start and owns a 1-0 mark with a lowly 0.56 ERA (1 ER/16.0 IP).
• Samford will look to left-hander Hamp Skinner. The junior has appeared in six games this season and holds a 1.59 ERA (1 ER/5.2 IP) for the Bulldogs.
ABOUT ALABAMA
• Alabama wrapped up last week at 2-2, including an SEC series win over South Carolina split between Friday and Saturday. The Crimson Tide first fell to Troy on Tuesday in Tuscaloosa before sweeping a Friday doubleheader against the Gamecocks to secure the series victory, the Tide's first against SC in Tuscaloosa since 2007. UA battled on Saturday for the series sweep but fell in a 12-inning affair.
• The Tide's late rally came up short in an 8-4 loss to Troy on Tuesday. Alabama trailed 8-2 entering the bottom of the ninth. Redshirt junior Gene Wood was hit by a pitch with one down to bring John Trousdale to the plate. The junior sent a 3-2 pitch deep to right-center to make it an 8-4 contest and force a Troy pitching change. Alabama reached one against the new pitcher, but a pair of back-to-back groundouts followed, ending things in favor of the Trojans.
• Alabama earned a series win over South Carolina thanks to a pair of victories in Friday's doubleheader at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The Crimson Tide first blanked the Gamecocks, 9-0, to start the day before a 4-1 victory in game two of the twinbill to clinch the series.
• Sam Finnerty spun a complete game shutout in game one of Friday's doubleheader. Finnerty tossed a career-long 9.0 innings, allowing four hits and no walks while striking out five. The senior used only 79 pitches on the way to the Crimson Tide's first complete game shutout since May 18, 2018. Finnerty's start was highlighted by a stretch in the middle of the game that saw him retire 16 straight Gamecock hitters.
• The bats also came alive in game one with four players recording multi-hit performances, led by junior Tyler Gentry's 2-for-4 day that included a grand slam, a team-high four RBI and two runs scored. Fellow juniors Morgan McCullough and Brett Auerbach also contributed a pair of hits in addition to two RBI apiece, with McCullough adding two runs scored.
• The Crimson Tide came away with a 4-1 win in game two of the doubleheader thanks to another impressive performance on the mound. Redshirt junior Brock Love provided Alabama with a career-long 6.0 innings of work on the way to the win. Love allowed one run on three hits and a pair of walks while punching out eight across his 93 pitches of work.
• Jeremy Randolph then took over, tossing the final 3.0 frames for his fifth save in as many chances. The graduate closer issued just two walks and struck out four to help the Tide secure the doubleheader sweep.
• Alabama's offense was powered in game two by the heart of the order with the 3-4-5 hitters combining to go 8-15 with two RBI and three runs scored. McCullough, who hit in the three spot, finished with a team-high tying three hits and led the Tide with two runs scored. Matching him on hits was Drew Williamson. The freshman tallied three hits, including a double, and added a team-leading two RBI to go with a run scored. Gentry, the four-hole hitter, recorded two hits to go with a run scored.
• An extra-innings affair between Alabama and South Carolina favored the Gamecocks, 5-4, as SC earned the Saturday victory in 12. The Crimson Tide was tasked with overcoming an early 4-0 deficit but was able to do so, scoring two in the third and two in the fifth to make it a 4-4 game after five innings.
• The Tide bullpen provided a commendable effort in the series finale, keeping SC off the board from the third inning until the 12th. Alabama's relievers did not allow a hit from the fifth inning on, but a walk and two wild pitches in the final inning of play led South Carolina to the win.
ABOUT SAMFORD
• Casey Dunn is in his 15th year leading the Bulldogs in 2019 and holds a career record of 466-387 - all at Samford. Dunn has led the Bulldogs to a school-record 11 30-plus win seasons, including the program's lone 40-win season in 2012. He has led Samford to their only two SoCon titles and two NCAA Tournament appearances in 2012 and 2018. Dunn is joined on staff by associate head coach Tony David, assistant coach Tyler Shrout and volunteer assistant Brad Moss. Â
• Samford returns 22 letterwinners, including seven positional starters and four starting pitchers, from the 2018 team that finished 37-26 overall and 16-8 in SoCon action before claiming the conference title to earn an automatic bid into the NCAA Tallahassee Regional. The 2019 roster is without one letterman from a season ago and welcomes 10 newcomers.
• The Bulldogs were selected to win the Southern Conference in the league's preseason poll, as voted on by the conference's head coaches and the media.
ON DECK
Alabama continues the current roadtrip with a three-game series at fifth-ranked Mississippi State. The Crimson Tide and Bulldogs are scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. start to kick off the weekend on Friday before a 3 p.m. first pitch in the Saturday and Sunday pairings. The first two games of the weekend will air on SEC Network+ with the series finale being broadcast nationally on SEC Network.
