SEC BASEBALL

Crimson Tide trip Hogs with big 5th

Designated hitter Owen Diodati drove in two runs as part of a six-run fifth inning for Alabama in its 8-6 victory over No. 5 Arkansas on Friday night at Sewell-Thomas Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
(Alabama Athletics Photography)
Designated hitter Owen Diodati drove in two runs as part of a six-run fifth inning for Alabama in its 8-6 victory over No. 5 Arkansas on Friday night at Sewell-Thomas Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (Alabama Athletics Photography)

On Thursday, the No. 5 Arkansas Razorbacks erased a three-run deficit with a five-run fifth inning en route to a series-opening win at Alabama.

On Friday, the Crimson Tide did that one better with six runs, but not with home run balls like the Razorbacks did. Alabama racked up five singles, a pair of walks and a successful suicide squeeze bunt to erase a three-run deficit en route to an 8-6 win before a crowd of 3,257 at Sewell-Thomas Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

The Razorbacks (38-15, 18-11 SEC) will enter the final game of the regular season with a chance to win or tie for the SEC West title for the fourth consecutive year.

The Crimson Tide (28-25, 11-17) clinched a spot in the SEC Tournament In Hoover, Ala, next week with the win.

"What I told the kids was we're glad we qualified for Hoover, but let's not be satisfied," Alabama Coach Brad Bohannon said. "Let's get a big series win over a great team and build some momentum going into Hoover next week."

Texas A&M, which entered the night tied with the Razorbacks atop the division, lost 14-6 at Ole Miss on Friday to also go to 18-11 in the SEC. The Aggies hold the tiebreaker for SEC Tournament seeding over Arkansas, but the Razorbacks have clinched no worse than the No. 3 seed, meaning it will play either the first or second game on Wednesday in Hoover, Ala.

Arkansas, which fell to 0-12 when trailing going into the ninth inning, made it interesting against Brock Guffey. Cayden Wallace reached on a one-out single and Robert Moore moved him up with a two-out single.

The Crimson Tide called on closer Dylan Ray for the final out. He faced Chris Lanzilli, who had a pair of doubles and a single in the game, and struck him out to notch his sixth save.

While Arkansas powered its way past the Tide with home runs by Peyton Stovall and Wallace and a two-run double by Jalen Battles on Thursday, the Crimson Tide bled Arkansas pitchers Connor Noland (5-4) and Zack Morris with loopers, choppers, line drives and dinkers in their big fifth on Friday, as they sent 11 batters to the plate.

"Just a tough loss," Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said. "We battled and I think we had a three-run lead and, just, kind of a different story compared to last night as far as how our bullpen went.

"Connor wasn't throwing strikes, getting behind in the count, giving up some hits, so we decided to go with Morris. And Morris came in and didn't throw the ball over the plate very well.

"They did get a couple of cheap hits on him, which was kind of the game works every now and then, but we got our hits. We just needed one more big one."

Brady Slavens was in the middle of both of the Razorbacks' first pair of runs against Alabama starter Jacob McNairy (6-2).

He walked to open the second and raced to third on Stovall's opposite-field double into the left-field corner. Battles' ground ball to shortstop brought Slavens in for the game's first run.

Lanzilli, robbed of a potential double in the first inning by third baseman Zane Denton, laced one even closer to the third-base bag to open the fourth for a double. Slavens' single through a shift on the right side brought Lanzilli home for a 2-0 lead.

The Crimson Tide scratched out three consecutive singles off Noland to plate their first run in the fourth inning. Drew Williamson and Dominic Tamez went the other way to beat the shift for their hits, then Denton looped a single to right to bring in the run with no outs.

After a visit from pitching coach Matt Hobbs, Noland got a liner, a strikeout and a chopper to first to escape the inning with a 2-1 lead.

Arkansas bumped its lead up to three runs in the fifth, as Battles singled and scored on Michael Turner's two-out double. Lanzilli's single to center made it 4-1.

McNairy came out of the fifth with a three-run deficit but wound up being the winner thanks to the big rally, which tied Illinois-Chicago's fourth inning on March 13 as the most runs allowed by Arkansas in an inning this season.

Lead-off man Caden Rose opened the key fifth inning with a walk on which Noland felt his inside fastball on a 3-2 pitch caught the edge of the plate, pounding his mitt after the ball call by home plate umpire Derek Mollica.

William Hamiter followed with a single to chase Rose to third, then Andrew Pinckney followed with an RBI grounder. Williamson and Tamez followed with consecutive singles to chase Noland and pull Alabama within 4-3.

Morris did not retire any of the four batters he faced, allowing a walk, two singles and nine-hole hitter Jim Jarvis' squeeze bunt, on which Tommy Seidl made a good slide to beat Morris' throw to the catcher Turner and make it 7-4. Zebulon Vermillion came on to get out of the inning without further damage.

Pickney's seventh home run of the season off Vermillion in the sixth made it 8-4.

Lanzilli's two-run double plated Wallace and Moore in the seventh to draw Arkansas within 8-6 but that's as close as the Razorbacks would get.


Today’s game

NO. 5 ARKANSAS BASEBALL at Alabama

WHEN 1 p.m. Central

WHERE Sewell-Thomas Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Ala.

RECORDS Arkansas 38-15, 18-11 SEC; Alabama 28-25, 11-17 SEC

STARTING PITCHERS Arkansas RHP Jaxon Wiggins (6-2, 5.31 ERA); Alabama LHP Grayson Hitt (4-3, 5.02)

RADIO Razorback Sports Network

TV None

STREAMING ESPN3.com

SHORT HOPS Arkansas 3B Cayden Wallace made the web gem of the night, sprinting up to field a chopper by Dominic Tamez near the mound and firing to first to retire the former Razorback in the top of the ninth. … Alabama 3B Zane Denton made a diving back-handed stab of a Chris Lanzilli line drive just inside the bag to rob a potential double and first inning run. … Arkansas LF Zack Gregory was hit by a pitch for the team-high 12th time in the seventh inning. … The Razorbacks bounced into a pair of double plays, by Braydon Webb in the fourth and Jalen Battles in the eighth.

THE WEEK AHEAD

TODAY at Alabama*, 1 p.m.

SUNDAY Off

MONDAY Off

TUESDAY Off

WEDNESDAY SEC Tournament

* SEC game



  photo  Dave Van Horn
 
 


  photo  Brady Slavens
 
 


  photo  Andrew Pinckney
 
 


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