Alabama baseball swept by Georgia, suffering its first series loss; scores, takeaways
Alabama baseball lost its first road series after being swept by Georgia in Athens. The Tide lost both games of a Saturday doubleheader, 9-5 and 6-5, and the Bulldogs completed the sweep with a 10-5 victory on Sunday. It was Alabama's first series loss of the season.
No. 10 Alabama's (18-6, 2-4 SEC) offense remained solid, scoring five runs in both games on Saturday, but the pitching staff could not handle the strong bats of Georgia (22-4, 3-3 SEC) as the Bulldogs scored all nine runs via home runs. The second game was a similar story, as the Bulldogs scored five of their six runs via homer. Georgia's offense stayed strong throughout Sunday while Alabama's struggled to get anything going until late in the game.
Winning on the road in the SEC is a significant challenge for everyone in the conference. Road teams had a record of 4-17 in SEC Opening Weekend and were 4-11 through Saturday this week. Alabama went 2-1 at home last week against No. 7 Tennessee, while Georgia was swept on the road by No. 25 Kentucky.
Here are three takeaways from Alabama's series against Georgia:
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Pitching struggles for Alabama baseball
In the first game of Saturday's doubleheader, pitcher Ben Hess struggled out of the gate. Each of the first four batters he faced scored, with two of them hitting home runs, and he was at 38 pitches after the first inning. However, Hess picked it up after the first, allowing just one more run and striking out six. His day lasted four innings, with Hess allowing seven hits, a season-high five runs and walking just one batter.
Greg Farone fared better as the starter for the second game, pitching 4⅓ innings with three strikeouts and allowing just three runs on six hits, although those three runs came from consecutive third-inning home runs. Alton Davis II entered the game to close in the seventh inning but surrendered a two-run home run on his second pitch, which gave Georgia a lead it would not relinquish. Davis recorded his first loss of the season as a result.
Sunday's staff wasn't much of an improvement, as the Bulldogs hit four more home runs. Hagan Banks got the start for Alabama but was pulled from the game with an injury after just 1⅓ innings. Georgia finished the series with a whopping 11 home runs that scored 18 of its 25 total runs.
Top of Alabama's batting order starts strong, but cools off
The 1-4 batters for Alabama continue to be the plug for Alabama's offense, accounting for all five of Alabama's runs in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader.
Third baseman Gage Miller maintained his dominance at the plate this season going 3-for-4 with two RBIs. Outfielder TJ McCants followed up his 4-for-4 game on Tuesday by going 2-for-3 from the plate and recording an RBI, while fellow outfielders Ian Petrutz and Evan Sleight also recorded RBIs. Both are batting above .300 at the No. 3 and 4 spots.
Outside of Miller, who had two more home runs and 3 RBIs, the other three struggled in game two. McCants went 0-for-5, making it his first game this season without a hit. Petrutz also failed to record a hit but was walked twice, while Sleight went 1-for-4.
Missed opportunities haunt Alabama baseball on Sunday
Following a home run by Georgia's Corey Collins in the Bulldogs' first at-bat on Sunday, Alabama responded with a Will Hodo RBI in the second inning. With the score tied at 1-1, the Crimson Tide needed to maintain runs to avoid getting swept, especially considering how good the Bulldogs' offense looked.
The Tide continued to put runners on base but failed to score most of them. The biggest missed opportunity came in the bottom of the fifth. Down 6-1 and facing a 2-2 count with the bases loaded and two outs, Mason Swinney took a check swing that was controversially called strike three by the home plate umpire. The call drew the ire of coach Rob Vaughn and left three runners on base that would have gone a long way toward a potential Alabama comeback.
Alabama finally capitalized on runners when Kade Snell hit a three-run homer in the seventh to cut the lead to 9-4. Georgia increased the lead with another solo shot in the eighth, but Alabama again found themselves with the bases loaded, this time down 10-4 in the top of the ninth. Mac Guscette scored Justin Lebron with a sacrifice fly, and Miller reloaded the bases with a single, but a groundout by McCants ended the game and left three more stranded.
Alabama ended the game with 15 runners left on base, its highest mark in that statistic this season. The Tide left 13 runners stranded in a 7-5 loss to No. 16 (then-No. 23) Dallas Baptist on March 3.
What's next for Alabama baseball?
Alabama will play Belmont at Toyota Field in Huntsville on Tuesday, March 26, as its midweek contest. The Crimson Tide's next SEC series will be at home against South Carolina starting with game one on Thursday, March 28.