Series Sweep Secured as Baseball Holds Off Murray State for 5-4 on Sunday

Sunday, March 6

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

1 p.m.

Alabama

9-4

Murray State

8-3

Murray State

Alabama

Series Sweep Secured as Baseball Holds Off Murray State for 5-4 on Sunday

3/6/2022 4:54:00 PM | Baseball

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The Racers scored one in the ninth and had the tying and go-ahead runs aboard but a flyout ended things in favor of the Crimson Tide

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama baseball stalled a late rally by Murray State to secure the 5-4 win on Sunday afternoon at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The Crimson Tide claimed the series sweep with the win in the finale and is now 9-4 on the season.

Alabama and Murray State traded blows throughout the afternoon. The Crimson Tide was first to strike with two in the first. The Racers came right back with three runs in the third to gain the lead before the Tide matched them at three apiece with one run in the home half of the fourth. Alabama added a pair in the bottom of the sixth thanks to an Eric Foggo two-run home run.

Both teams then went scoreless until the ninth. Murray State was able to cut the lead to one and had the tying and go-ahead runners on base with two down, but Hunter Hoopes got a flyout to end the ballgame in Alabama's favor. Hoopes picked up his second save of the season with 0.2 an inning that included a huge strikeout after entering from the bullpen with a 3-0 count on the batter. The right-hander battled back for the K before getting the final out one batter later. Brock Guffey (2-0) picked up the win on Sunday, tossing 3.0 scoreless, hitless innings with one strikeout.

Foggo's home run came as part of his 2-for-3 effort on the day that included two RBI, one run and a walk. Also contributing multi-hit efforts were Jim Jarvis and Dominic Tamez, who each finished 2-for-4. Jarvis recorded a double and one run while Tamez contributed an RBI.

From Head Coach Brad Bohannon

"I'm really glad to get a sweep today against a good Murray State team. They're going to do really well in their league, and they competed really well all weekend. Today we made a lot of mistakes, and it is good to face some adversity. It's good that we got to play through some of that stuff, and we're just really glad we did enough to get a win and to get a sweep. It's hard to beat anybody three times and equally as hard to win four in a row."

How It Happened

B1 | Jim Jarvis sent the first pitch of the game to the corner in left for a leadoff double. A groundout moved Jarvis to third before the Tide shortstop came home on a sacrifice fly from Zane Denton. Drew Williamson followed with a single and proceeded to steal second. Dominic Tamez took advantage of the opportunity, delivering an RBI-single to left. (2-0, Alabama)
T3 | An RBI-single with one down got the Racers on the board. A double steal then brought in the tying run before another RBI-single crossed the inning's third run, putting MSU in front. (3-2, Murray State)
B4 | Andrew Pinckney was hit by a pitch to start the frame. A walk pushed the leadoff man to second before a wild pitch allowed him to advance to third. One out later, Caden Rose sent a ball deep to center for a game-tying sacrifice fly. (3-3)
B6 | Eric Foggo put the Crimson Tide back in front with a two-run home run to left. (5-3, Alabama)
T9 | The Racers crossed one with a two-out RBI-single to make it a one-run ballgame. (5-4, Alabama)

Postgame Notes

Alabama allowed just four earned runs across the weekend's three games.
With his 1-for-4 effort, Drew Williamson has recorded a hit in 12 straight games. Over the streak, the senior is batting .362 (17-47) with five doubles, two home runs, 11 RBI, seven runs scored, three walks, one hit-by-pitch and a stolen base.
Andrew Pinckney reached base safely for a 10^th straight game, dating back to the Feb. 22 contest against Jacksonville State.
Tommy Seidl's five-game hitting streak came to an end. The senior batted .524 (11-21) with a double, one home run, three RBI, a pair of runs scored and three stolen bases in as many attempts during the streak.
ATTENDANCE: 2,860

Next up for Alabama is a pair of midweek games at The Joe, first on Tuesday against Middle Tennessee. The Crimson Tide and Blue Raiders are scheduled for a 3 p.m. CT first pitch on SEC Network+.

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