Alabama baseball enters its series against Auburn on a four-game winning streak.
Alabama handled Austin Peay 6-2 on Tuesday afternoon in a very enjoyable afternoon of baseball at Toyota Field in Huntsville. The Crimson Tide jumped out to a first-inning lead and never looked back en route to its fourth straight win.
"We played good defense today and made some really good plays," head coach Rob Vaughn said. "Good team win on the road." The game featured a number of North Alabama natives on both sides, including Governors' starter Dillon Adkins. Adkins struggled, walking the first four batters of the game before being pulled without recording an out. Captain Will Plattner then notched a sacrifice fly to give Alabama a second run before reliever Chance Cox settled in and ended the frame. The Governors tied the game up in the top of the third thanks to an RBI groundout followed by a solo home run from Ray Velasquez. The score would stay the same until the bottom of the fifth, where Luke Vaughn would score what ultimately proved to be the game-winning run off a throwing error. Alabama would add two more in that fifth thanks to a Jason Torres double with two outs. Cox would then walk the next two batters, setting up Peyton Steele with the bases loaded. Steele, a Decatur native, was 20 minutes from his hometown and was back in the starting lineup after not playing against Kentucky. He struck out to end the inning there and went hitless on the day, but Vaughn liked what he saw from the right fielder. "Just took some really good swings tonight," Vaughn said. "Good to see him back and kind of going right there. We're going to need him down the stretch here." The rest of the game was relatively uneventful, save for two moments in the eighth inning. Justin Lebron made a nice leaping catch at shortstop to end the top of the inning, and then Bryce Fowler drove in one final insurance run with a single to score pinch-runner Chase Kroberger. Evan Steckmesser, another North Alabaman, recorded the final three outs to end the game in the top of the ninth.Alabama now enters its weekend series against Auburn on a four-game winning streak. The Tigers are coming off a narrow series loss to Texas and will be the highest-ranked team Alabama has faced this year so far. "It's going to be two really good teams going toe to toe," Vaughn said. "And it means a lot to a lot of people. It's your in-state rival, it's an incredibly talented team... so we've got to do a good job preparing these next two days."Theodore Fernandez is BamaCentral’s baseball beat reporter and a co-host of The Joe Gaither Show. He also works as a weekend sports anchor at WVUA 23 News in Tuscaloosa and serves as one of the station’s lead high school sports reporters. Fernandez is a news media student at The University of Alabama and is pursuing a master’s degree in sports management.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Tech Takedown in Tampa: No. 4 Alabama Advances to Fourth Straight Sweet 16The Crimson Tide dominated 5-seed Texas Tech to stay alive in March Madness.
Read more »
How to Watch No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 1 Michigan in NCAA Tournament Sweet 16Everything you need to know, including TV and radio information, about the Crimson Tide's third March Madness matchup against the Wolverines in Chicago.
Read more »
Everything Grant McCasland, Texas Tech Said After Blowout Loss to AlabamaA full transcript from the Red Raiders head coach, and players Christian Anderson and Donovan Atwell following the NCAA Tournament Round of 32 loss in Tampa.
Read more »
Vets say debt and demanding work are fueling North Alabama’s large-animal vet shortageMost counties in North Alabama are considered underserved for large-animal veterinary care.
Read more »
Louisville Takes Down Alabama, Punches Ticket to Sweet 16The Cardinals reach the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the 13th time under head coach Jeff Walz.
Read more »
32 gambling machines found in Alabama business raidAn investigation is underway after police received multiple complaints of illegal gambling at a local business, according to the Alexander City Police Department.
Read more »