BrettAtBama Baseball Breakdown: UAB, Apr. 10

Alabama gets a rematch with the UAB Blazers after a 1-0 12-inning loss just a few weeks ago. Read more about it here.

http://cw.ua.edu/2012/04/10/hot-streak-at-risk-against-uab/

Dugas named SEC Co-Player of the Week

Senior centerfielder Taylor Dugas may have put together one of the more successful careers in Alabama baseball history. Dugas was drafted in the eighth round by the Chicago Cubs last spring, but turned them down to come back to the Crimson Tide, where he was within striking distance of five school records.

Even with his four-year brilliance at Alabama, he had never been named the SEC Co-Player of the Week. That changed this week, as the SEC handed Dugas the honors yesterday.

Dugas hit for an astounding .529 last week, playing one game against South Alabama and three more against Auburn, all of them wins for the Tide. Dugas also sported a .600 on-base percentage for the week and moved his season batting average up to .350.

Dugas wreaked havoc on the record books throughout the week as well. He notched his 300th career hit on Friday and ended the weekend with 305, good for 5th all-time in Alabama baseball history. He also tied the career doubles record with 64, passing his hitting coach Andy Phillips in the process. One more record went down at the hands of Dugas this weekend, the career triples record, now set at 14 (and counting).

BrettAtBama Baseball Recap: Auburn, Apr. 8th

Here is my Crimson White recap of the Sunday game against Auburn, which completed the sweep.

http://cw.ua.edu/2012/04/09/tide-hopes-to-continue-momentum-against-uab/

Note: I have no idea why the headline is looking forward to the Tuesday game against UAB. I don’t write the headlines. Feel free to make fun of it, because I already have.

BrettAtBama Baseball Notes: Mar. 25th vs. Ole Miss

Alabama dropped the series-deciding game against Ole Miss 8-4 today, moving to 1-5 in SEC play. Stats here, Recap later. You know this by now.

Hitting

3-Star Hitter, First baseman Austen Smith: One hit on four at-bats. Scored a run as well. Now hitting .246 on the season.

4-Star Hitter, Centerfielder Taylor Dugas: One hit and one RBI on four at-bats. Also scored one run. Now has a .318 batting average.

5-Star Hitter, Shortstop Jared Reaves: Two hits and two RBIs on four at-bats. Did not strikeout. Batting average to date: .302.

Pitching

Alabama starting pitcher, Jon Keller: 6.2 innings pitched. Gave up 9 hits and 2 runs (both earned). Earned six strikeouts and walked one batter.

Alabama losing pitcher, Spencer Turnbull: 0.2 innings pitched. Gave up four hits and four runs (all earned). One strikeout and one walk. Now 0-2 on the season.

Scoring Summary

Ole Miss            0  0  0       0  2  0       0  4  2              8  16  1

Alabama            0  0  2       0  2  0       0  0  0              4   5   1

Bottom of the Third

Austen Smith opened the inning with a first-pitch double down the LF line. AJ Cole followed by reaching first on a fielder’s choice, which moved Smith to third. A throwing error on the same play moved Cole to second and Smith across the plate. Bama up 1-0. Hunter Gregory put down a sac bunt to third which moved Cole to third. Now with one out, Taylor Dugas grounded out to the SS, scoring Cole. Bama up 2-0.

Top of the Fifth

With one out, Auston Bousfield singled to left field. Preston Overbey followed with a two-run homer to left-center on the first pitch of the at-bat. Bama and Ole Miss are tied, 2-2.

Bottom of the Fifth

With two outs, Taylor Dugas singled to left field. Ben Moore followed with a ground-rule double, moving Dugas to third. Jared Reaves singled up the middle, scoring Dugas and Moore. Bama up 4-2.

Top of the Eighth

With one out, Mason Snyder doubled down the RF line. A Will Allen single to right field moved Snyder to third. Will Jamison comes in to pinch run for Allen. Auston Bousfield hit a full-count single to second base, scoring Snyder and moving Jamison to second. Bama up 4-3. Preston Overbey singled to right field, loading the bases with one out. Taylor Gilbeau came in to pitch for Alabama, replacing Spencer Turnbull. Zach Kirksey hit a sac fly to CF, which scored both Bousfield and Jamison and moved Overbey to third. Bama down 5-4. Blake Newalu singled to center, scoring Overbey. Bama down 6-4.

Top of the Ninth

Alex Yarbrough opened the inning by reaching first on an error by the third baseman. Mason Snyder knocked a two-run homer to RF. Bama down 8-4.

BrettAtBama Baseball Spotlight: Warm-ups

Welcome to the BrettAtBama Baseball Spotlight series! I thought it would be fitting to start the series off with what the team starts off with: warm-ups.

So, here are some videos and photos I collected of the team warming up before today’s game against Ole Miss. You can see how the game ends with the my BrettAtBama Baseball Notes post after the game.

 

 

 

 

 

Here you can see 2B Kenny Roberts and SS Jared Reaves tossing the ball around before today’s game against the Ole Miss Rebels.

 

 

 

 

And, of course, I have video for you. I hope you enjoyed this installment of the BrettAtBama Baseball Spotlight series. Tune back tomorrow for more.

BrettAtBama Baseball Notes: Mar. 24th vs. Ole Miss

Sewell-Thomas Stadium saw another thriller today, as the Crimson Tide was able to take a 3-2 win over No. 17 Ole Miss thanks to a walk-off homerun from Brett Booth. Here is the statistical breakdown of the great day of baseball.

Hitting

3-Star Hitter, Catcher Ben Moore: One hit and one RBI in four at-bats.

4-Star Hitter, Designated Hitter Josh Rosecrans: Led the team with two hits.

5-Star Hitter, Third Baseman Bret Booth: Had one hit and two RBIs. Hit a walk-off homerun over the left-field fence.

Pitching

Alabama winning pitcher, Taylor Gilbeau: 1 inning pitched, gave up one hit and walked two batters. 2 strikeouts.

Alabama starting pitcher, Justin Kamplain: 7 innings pitched, the first six of which were without allowing a hit. Ended up allowing three hits and two runs (both earned), walking two batters and striking out six.

Scoring Summary

Ole Miss            0  0  0       0  0  0       2  0  0              2  4  1

Alabama            0  0  1       0  0  0       0  0  2              3  6  0

Bottom of the Third

AJ Cole started the inning by reaching first thanks to an error by the SS. Hunter Gregory laid down a sac bunt to the third baseman, moving Cole to second. Taylor Dugas hit a full count sac fly to CF, moving Cole to third. Now with two outs, Ben Moore singled to the shortstop, scoring Cole. Bama up 1-0.

Top of the Seventh

Alex Yarbrough started the inning with a single up the middle. Mason Snyder hit a sac grounder to the first baseman, moving Yarbrough to second. A Will Allen single to RF scored Yarbrough. Bama and Ole Miss are tied 1-1. Allen stole second. Andrew Mistone grounded out to SS, moving Allen to third. Preston Overbey singled to left field, scoring Allen. Bama down 2-1.

Bottom of the Ninth

Josh Rosecrans began the inning with a 2-2 single to right field. Brandt Hendricks came in to pinch run for Rosecrans. Jon Kelton, pinch-hitting for Cameron Carlisle, put down a sac bunt to the pitcher, moving Hendricks to second. Austen Smith grounded out to third base, moving Hendricks to third. Brett Booth hit a 2-2 high slider over the left-field fence. Bama wins 3-2.

Baseball postgame video: Mar. 23rd vs. Ole Miss

In a new development for BrettAtBama’s coverage of baseball, I have some video from the postgame interviews with head coach Mitch Gaspard and senior centerfielder Taylor Dugas. Enjoy!

BrettAtBama Baseball Recap: Mar. 23 vs. Ole Miss

As promised earlier, here is my CW Recap of tonight’s series opening 11-7 loss to Ole Miss. Interview video will be right behind this post.

http://cw.ua.edu/2012/03/23/tide-drops-sec-home-opener-to-rebels-11-7/

BrettAtBama Baseball Notes: Mar. 23 vs. Ole Miss

In the first of a three-game series at home against Ole Miss, Alabama lost to the Rebels 11-7 after a major seventh-inning explosion by the Rebels. Here is the statistical breakdown, with a Crimson White and (NEW!) interview video to follow. Enjoy!

Hitting

3-Star Hitter, Catcher Ben Moore: Two hits and two RBIs in three at-bats. Walked once and scored one run.

4-Star Hitter, Shortstop Jared Reaves: Three hits and one RBI. Scored three runs.

5-Star Hitter, Centerfielder Taylor Dugas: Tied a career-high with four hits. Also had one RBI and scored two runs.

Pitching

Losing Pitcher, Ian Gardeck: 0.1 innings pitched, gave up two hits and two runs (both were earned).

Alabama starter Charley Sullivan: 6 innings pitched, gave up seven hits and four runs (all were earned). Earned three strikeouts and walked two batters.

Notable reliever, Trey Pilkington: 2.2 innings pitched, surrendered three hits but no runs. No walks and no strikeouts.

Scoring Summary

Ole Miss        0  2  1       0  0  1       7  0  0            11  16  3

Bama            2  0  0       0  0  2       1  2  0              7  13  1

Bottom of the First

Taylor Dugas opened the inning with a single to the third baseman. A Hunter Gregory sac bunt to the pitcher moved Dugas to second. Now with one out, Jared Reaves doubled down the LF line, scoring Dugas. Bama up 1-0. With two outs, a balk moved Reaves to third, who then scored on a passed ball. Bama up 2-0.

Top of the Second

Will Allen began the inning with a double to left field. Zach Kirksey singled to the right side, moving Allen to third. A wild pitch moved Kirksey to second. Andrew Mistone grounded out to second base, moving Kirksey to third and scoring Allen. Bama up 2-1. Preston Overbey grounded out to 2B, scoring Kirksey. Bama and Ole Miss are tied, 2-2.

Top of the Third

Tanner Mathis started the inning with a single to right-center. Austin Anderson followed it up with a single to second base, which moved Mathis to third after an error. Alex Yarbrough singles down the LF line, moving Anderson to second and scoring Mathis. Bama down 3-2.

Top of the Sixth

With two outs, Zach Kirksey walked. A Andrew Mistone triple to left-center scored Kirksey. Bama down 4-2.

Bottom of the Sixth

Josh Rosecrans opened the inning with a triple. Ben Moore singled up the middle to score Rosecrans. Bama down 4-3. With one out, Moore stole second. A Brett Booth single to RF scored Moore. Bama tied with Ole Miss 4-4.

Top of the Seventh

Alabama reliever Ian Gardeck’s second batter faced, Tanner Mathis, singled to the shortstop on a full count. Austin Anderson followed up with a double to right field, moving Mathis to third. Jake Hubbard gets subbed into the game for Gardeck. Alex Yarbrough singled to RF, getting to second on the throw. The play scored Mathis and Anderson. Bama down 6-4. Matt Snyder singled to the left side, moving Yarbrough to third. A Will Allen double to left-center scored Yarbrough and moved Snyder to third. Bama down 7-4. A intentional walk for Zach Kirksey loaded the bases with one out. Andrew Mistone singled to LF, scoring Allen and Snyder, and moving Kirksey to second. Bama down 9-4. Trey Pilkington comes in for Hubbard. With two outs and runners on second and third, Auston Bousfield singled, scoring Mistone and Kirksey. Bama down 11-4.

Bottom of the Seventh

Jared Reaves starts the inning with a full count single up the middle. Josh Rosecrans reaches first on an E by SS, Reaves to second. Ben Moore laid down a sac bunt to 3B, moving Reaves to third and Rosecrans to second. With two outs, Brett Booth singled to the right side, scoring Reaves. Bama down 11-5.

Bottom of the Eighth

Taylor Dugas hit a one-out solo homerun to right field. Bama down 11-6. With two outs, Jared Reaves doubled to LF. Josh Rosecrans reached on a throwing error by the SS on a full count, moving Reaves to third. A Ben Moore single to RF scored Reaves. Bama down 11-7.

BrettAtBama Baseball Notes: Mar. 14 vs. Samford

Alabama got its eighth win of the season in thrilling fashion, relying on a bottom of the ninth inning to beat Samford 6-5 at home. Here are some stats from the Thrilla in Sewell-Thomas Stadium.

Hitting

3-Star Hitter, Shortstop Jared Reaves: One hit and one RBI in four at-bats.

4-Star Hitter, Catcher Ben Moore: One hit and one RBI in four at-bats. I gave Moore the edge over Reaves because Moore’s hit was the game-winner.

5-Star Hitter, Centerfielder Taylor Dugas: One hit and two RBIs in three at-bats. Scored a run as well.

Pitching

Win, Alabama reliever Chazz Otwell: In 2 innings pitched, gave up three hits and one run (it was earned). Did not walk a batter and struck two out.

Alabama starter Spencer Turnbull: 3 innings pitched, gave up three hits and three runs (all earned). Walked two batters and struck four batters out.

Notable reliever, Alabama’s Jay Shaw: 1.2 no hit innings, only one walk separating him from perfection. Got one batter to strike out.

Scoring Summary

Samford            3  0  0       0  0  1       0  1  0              5  8  3

Alabama            0  0  1       0  0  0       0  0  5              6  5  1

Top of the First

Zeth Stone started the game with a walk. A Brad Moss sac bunt to the 3B moved Stone to second. With two outs, Brandon Miller homered to RF, scoring Stone. Bama down to Samford 2-0. Phillip Ervin followed it up with a double to right-center. C.K. Irby hit him in with a single to left field. Bama down 3-0.

Bottom of the Third

Brett Booth opened the inning by reaching first on an error by the second baseman. Booth moved to second on a wild pitch. With two outs, Taylor Dugas hit a full count single to RF, scoring Booth. Bama down 3-1.

Top of the Sixth

With one out, Phillip Ervin doubled to lef field. C.K. Irby doubled to left-center, scoring Ervin. Bama down 4-1.

Top of the Eighth

In Chazz Otwell’s first action of the game as a relief pitcher for the Tide, he gave up a one-out homerun to Phillip Ervin, to left field. Bama down 5-1.

Bottom of the Ninth

Brett Booth started the inning with a single to shortstop. Jon Kelton followed with a single to left-center, moving Booth to second. AJ Cole, pinch-hitting for Allen Dye, was walked, loading the bases. Taylor Dugas gets HBP, scoring Booth and keeping the bases loaded with no outs. Bama down 5-2. Austen Smith, pinch-hitting for Hunter Gregory, walks, scoring Kelton and keeping the bases loaded. Bama down 5-3. Samford makes a pitching change and Andrew Miller pinch runs for Smith. Jared Reaves reaches first on an error by the 3B, scoring Cole and keeping the bases loaded. Bama down 5-4. Josh Rosecrans reaches first on a fielder’s choice. Reaves is out at second, but Miller moves to third and Dugas scores. Bama and Samford are tied 5-5. With runners on first and third with one out, Ben Moore reached first on a fielder’s choice, that scored Andrew Miller. Bama wins 6-5.