Alabama
Tennessee
Miller’s Eighth-Inning Homer Lifts Baseball to Series-Clinching, 7-6 Win over Tennessee
3/17/2024 5:08:00 PM | Baseball
The Crimson Tide won its first series on SEC Opening Weekend since 2016
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – A three-run, go-ahead home run from Gage Miller in the eighth powered Alabama baseball to an eventual 7-6 win over fifth-ranked Tennessee on Sunday at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The victory helped the 12th-ranked Crimson Tide clinch the series against the Vols and improve to 17-3 on the season, including a 2-1 mark in Southeastern Conference play.
The Tide took an early lead with one in the first but a four-spot in the third helped the Vols gain the advantage. Alabama came right back with two runs in the home half of the third and tied it up with one run in the fourth before the two teams went scoreless headed to the seventh. In that seventh, Tennessee was able to score one and regain the lead until the eighth.
Alabama's eighth began with Mac Guscette being hit by a pitch before advancing to second on a one-out single from Justin Lebron. After a flyout, Miller came to the plate and proceeded to send a 1-0 pitch over the playground in left for a three-run home run that put the Tide in front by two entering the final frame,
Tennessee would not go quietly in the ninth, loading the bases with two down and drawing a walk to push across one run. With the bases still full, Aidan Moza shut the door for his first save of the season, getting three straight swinging strikes to end the ballgame at 7-6 in favor of Alabama.
Matthew Heiberger (2-0) got the win, working 2.0 innings and allowing one unearned run on two hits with a strikeout. Also highlighting the pitching effort was Braylon Myers, who tossed 3.0 scoreless relief frames with one hit, a walk and two strikeouts.
From Head Coach Rob Vaughn
"I can't tell you how proud I am of these guys. We sat in here all weekend talking about our pillars and what they mean to the program, and man, did these guys live them out the past two days. We got beat around pretty good on Friday, but we showed up and played really good baseball yesterday and today. We made it a little more complicated than it had to be there at the end, but, luckily, we got (Aidan Moza) that came in and slammed the door. That's what we talk about when we talk about toughness, grit, resiliency – (Moza) just embodied it today."
How It Happened
- B1 | Gage Miller began the day with a single to right and advanced to second on a balk during the next at-bat. One out later, Ian Petrutz smoked an RBI-single to left-center to plate the Tide's leadoff man. (1-0, Alabama)
- T3 | The Vols crossed four runs on three hits to take the lead, highlighted by back-to-back two-out doubles. (4-1, Tennessee)
- B3 | Miller got the rally started with a one-out walk and advanced to second on a single off the bat of TJ McCants. Petrutz picked up his second RBI of the game with a single that scored Miller while McCants moved first-to-third on the play. Evan Sleight was next up, sending a sacrifice fly to right to cut the deficit to one. (4-3, Tennessee)
- B4 | Will Hodo blasted a solo shot to deadlock the game at four apiece. (4-4)
- T7 | A one-out single eventually came around to score on a 4-3 groundout, helping the Volunteers retake the lead. (5-4, Tennessee)
- B8 | Mac Guscette was hit by a pitch to start the inning and moved to second on a one-out single from Justin Lebron. A pair would come home one out later on a three-run home run off the bat of Miller. (7-5, Alabama)
- T9 | A two-out walk with the bases loaded pushed a run across for the Vols. (7-6, Alabama)
Postgame Notes
- Today's series win over Tennessee marks the first time the Alabama has opened SEC play with a series victory since 2016 when UA took two of three at LSU from March 19-20.
- The victory over the Volunteers was the Crimson Tide's first series win against a top-five opponent since May 4-6 of last season when UA downed then-No. 5 Vanderbilt in Tuscaloosa.
- All nine starters on offense reached base safely on the day.
- Seven of the nine starters recorded at least one hit on Sunday.
- Alabama has homered in 15 contests this season and has tallied two-or-more homers in 11 of those games.
- The Crimson Tide recorded double-digit hits on Sunday and has now totaled 10-plus knocks in 15 of 20 contests.
- TJ McCants extended his hitting streak to 20 games. The senior center fielder is batting .369 (31-84) with eight doubles, one triple, seven homers, 24 RBI, 20 runs scored, 11 walks, three hit-by-pitch and six stolen bases to start the season.
- Bryce Eblin moved his hitting streak to 12 games. Over the current stretch, the senior is batting .396 (19-48) with two doubles, one triple, three home runs, nine RBI, 12 runs scored, three walks, two hit-by-pitch and a stolen base.
- Ian Petrutz finished 2-for-4 to push his hitting streak to eight games. Across that stretch, the junior is batting .414 (12-29) with two doubles, a homer, seven RBI, eight runs, six walks and four hit-by-pitch.
- Gage Miller has reached base safely in all 20 games.
- ATTENDANCE: 4,563
The Crimson Tide will break on Monday before returning to the diamond on Tuesday, March 19. Alabama will travel to Montgomery to take on Alabama State for a 6 p.m. CT matchup at the Wheeler-Watkins Baseball Complex.
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