Alabama baseball gets second straight SEC series win at Texas A&M
By WVUA 23 Sports Reporter Juliet Brown
Alabama baseball earned its second straight SEC series victory this weekend against Texas A&M. The series victory came a week and a half since Alabama fired head coach Brad Bohannon amid betting accusations. The Tide won five of seven games since Bohannon’s dismissal. Alabama won two of three against Vanderbilt last weekend, beat Troy in a midweek game before the series with the Aggies.
The Crimson Tide lost to the Aggies on Friday 11-4 before coming back strong Saturday and Sunday to win both games by double digit runs. Senior right-handed pitcher, Garrett McMillan, started for the Tide on Saturday and pitched a lights out six frames. He struck out a season-high seven Aggies.
The offense got off to a hot start as Andrew Pinckney hit a three-run bomb in the first inning. Alabama added one more run in the third before the Tide broke open the game in the fifth inning. The Tide loaded the bases before Jim Jarvis singled into right field allowing two to score. Tommy Seidl hit an RBI-single before Pinckney hit his second three-run homer of the game.
Drew Williamson was hit by a pitch to set up a two-out two-run homer by the standout freshman Colby Shelton. Alabama scored eight total runs in the fifth inning which gave the Tide its 12-0 lead heading into the sixth inning. The Aggies got on the board in the sixth with a solo homerun by Jace LaVoilette but the game was out of reach. Alabama earned a 12-1 run-rule victory.
Sunday’s game was moved up to noon from its original start time of 2 p.m. CT. The actual game didn’t start until 7 p.m. CT because of storms rolling through College Station. When the game finally got under way, the Crimson Tide and Andrew Pinckney picked up right where it left off on Saturday. Pinckney hit a solo homerun in his first at bat to put the Tide on the board first. In the second inning, Alabama loaded the bases thanks to a Mac Guscette single, a Caden Rose double, and a walk to Jarvis. This set up Seidl’s grand slam over the left field fence which gave Bama a 5-0 lead.
Williamson hit an RBI-single in the top of the seventh to add a run for Bama. The Crimson Tide scored five more runs in the ninth inning and won 11-0.
Crimson Tide right-handed pitcher, Jacob McNairy, got the nod on the mound Sunday. The senior pitched a lights out seven scoreless frames. He recorded a career-best nine strikeouts, allowed six hits and walked one. McNairy turned the ball over after the seventh inning to freshman Alton Davis who finished the game with one strikeout and allowed one hit. The defense worked hard behind him to secure the shutout. The shutout was the fifth this season which is the most in a single season since 2019 (6).
Alabama closes its regular season with a series against Ole Miss. The Tide hosts the Rebels starting Thursday with the first pitch slated for 6 p.m. The series will air on the SEC Network+.
