Five-Game Roadtrip for Baseball Begins with Contest at Alabama State

Five-Game Roadtrip for Baseball Begins with Contest at Alabama State

3/18/2024 2:52:00 PM | Baseball

The Crimson Tide and Hornets will meet for the 12th time in series history on Tuesday

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama baseball will begin a five-game stint away from Tuscaloosa starting on Tuesday when the ninth-ranked Tide travels to Alabama State. The matchup in Montgomery is scheduled for a 6 p.m. CT first pitch at the Wheeler-Watkins Baseball Complex on ASU's campus. Fans can listen to all the action live on the Crimson Tide Sports Network.

Follow the Tide

Fans can follow the midweek via the below outlets:
Watch: N/A
Listen: 100.9 FM / CTSN / The Varsity App
Twitter: @AlabamaBSB
Live Stats: StatBroadcast.com

Probable Starting Pitching Matchup

TUESDAY: UA – Zane Adams (Fr., LHP) vs. ASU – TBA

Leading Off

Alabama and Alabama State will meet for the 12th time in series history and second time this season when the two teams square off on Tuesday evening at the Wheeler-Watkins Baseball Complex. The Tide holds the all-time series advantage, 11-0, including a 1-0 mark in Montgomery.
The two teams met earlier this season on Feb. 21 in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide claimed a 12-0 win in seven innings in that matchup.
Alabama's only previous trip to State came on April 10, 1985, with the Tide winning that contest, 13-4.

About Alabama

Alabama wrapped up the week at 2-2. The Crimson Tide first fell at Southern Miss on Tuesday before earning a series win over fifth-ranked Tennessee, 2-1, on SEC Opening Weekend.
The Crimson Tide's win over the Volunteers was its first series victory on SEC Opening Weekend since 2016. It also marked the Tide's first series victory over a top-five team since May 4-6 of last season when UA downed then-No. 5 Vanderbilt at home in Tuscaloosa.
Alabama's late comeback came up just short in a 9-7 loss at Southern Miss last Tuesday.
USM gained a four-run advantage after two innings before Bryce Eblin got the Tide on the board in the third with a solo homer. The Golden Eagles added one more in the fifth before a solo shot from Evan Sleight made it a 5-2 affair. Southern Miss came right back with two in the home half of the sixth and another two in the seventh to set the score at 9-2 headed to the ninth.
The Alabama ninth saw Eblin and Gage Miller each reach to start the frame. One out later, a single loaded the bases before a Sleight triple cleared them. Kade Snell homered in the next at-bat to cut the lead to two before a Mac Guscette single forced a USM pitching change. The new arm was able to get out of the jam with a groundout and a lineout to end things in favor of Southern Miss.
Alabama fell to Tennessee, 11-3, on Friday night at Sewell-Thomas Stadium.
The Vols gained an early lead with one in the first, but the Tide answered with two runs in the home half thanks to back-to-back home runs from TJ McCants and Ian Petrutz. The Volunteers took the lead right back with a two-run third to begin a streak of 10 unanswered runs until a Will Hodo homer in the ninth made it an 11-3 final.
Alabama paired early offense with a solid effort on the mound to secure a 6-3 win over UT on Saturday evening.
The Crimson Tide plated one in the first, two in the second and three in the third to build a six-run advantage after three full. Tennessee chipped away with solo homers in the fourth and seventh while adding one more run in the eighth but could get no closer.
UA's early offense allowed Greg Farone to settle in on Saturday. The senior worked 5.1 innings of one-run baseball, allowing five hits and issuing one walk while striking out four for the win. Tyler Fay and Alton Davis II combined for the final 3.2 innings, limiting the Vols to only two runs while striking out three for the victory.
Alabama's offense was spread across the lineup, with all nine starters reaching base safely while seven of the nine starters contributed at least one hit. Justin Lebron highlighted the bats with a 2-for-3 night that included a team-high two RBI to go with a run scored.
A three-run, go-ahead home run from Miller in the eighth powered Alabama to an eventual 7-6, series-clinching win over Tennessee on Sunday.
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 in the fourth before the two teams went scoreless until the seventh. In that seventh, UT was able to score one and regain the lead until the eighth.
Alabama's eighth began with Guscette being hit by a pitch before advancing to second on a one-out single from 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 in favor of Alabama.
Matthew Heiberger 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.

About Alabama State

Jose' Vazquez began his eighth season at Alabama State in 2024 and has been part of the Hornets' program for 13 years. Entering the 2024 season, Vazquez owned a 201-139 career record, all at ASU. A 2002 graduate of Bethune-Cookman, Vazquez is joined on staff by associate head coach Drew Clark, assistant coach Branch Kloess and graduate assistant Trent Jamison.
Alabama State finished the 2023 season with a 41-18 record, including a 26-4 mark in SWAC action. The Hornets were crowned regular-season champions last season but came up short of making the NCAA Tournament after falling to Florida A&M in the SWAC Tournament.
The Hornets were selected to finish atop the Eastern Division and second overall in the SWAC in the league's preseason poll, as voted on by the conference's head coaches and sports information directors.

On Deck

The Crimson Tide's extended roadtrip will continue this weekend with a series in Athens against the Georgia Bulldogs. Friday's opener is set for a 5 p.m. first pitch followed by an 11 a.m. start on Saturday. The series at Foley Field will wrap up on Sunday at 12 p.m. The bookend games of the weekend are set to air on SEC Network+ with game two being broadcast nationally on SEC Network.