Alabama baseball downs in-state Troy for an efficient win

Tzali Nislick, Staff Reporter

It was an all-around impressive win for Alabama baseball Tuesday night, drubbing Troy University (20-10) to improve to 7-0 in midweek games this season. Virtually every starter had some level of impact in the Crimson Tide’s 10-2 victory. 

There were only a handful of hard-hit balls, but the lineup managed to get on base plenty via eight walks. To say it made the Trojans pay is an understatement. Alabama (22-8) hit .296 with runners on base and .375 with runners in scoring position. It only recorded one extra-base hit, but still was able to push across double-digit runs in the effort for the 14th time this year. 

“Lots of production up and down the lineup, we scored in five of the eight times that we batted,” Alabama head coach Brad Bohannon said. “We see over the course of the season, everybody gets better. The pitchers get better at executing pitches, the hitters don’t chase as much and it was really good to see us be a little more disciplined tonight.” 

Right-hander Jacob McNairy was efficient as usual, allowing just one run on four hits and his signature zero walks in 4.2 innings of work. He has now put together two impressive outings in three midweek starts and has settled into that role for the Crimson Tide. The bullpen did its job as well, holding the Trojans without a baserunner in the final three frames. 

“Jacob gave us a great start and I thought some of the guys out of the [bullpen] like [Aidan] Moza, Alton Davis II and [Brayden] Gainey were really sharp,” Bohannon said.  

A point of emphasis coming into this year Alabama was playing well in midweek contests. The Crimson Tide was just 8-5 in such games last season, one of the reasons it failed to reach the NCAA Tournament. It’s a different story this year, however, extending its perfect record in midweek contests with Tuesday night’s victory.  

“To be honest, I think we’re just better. The two keys to winning mid-week are being offensive and having depth on the mound and we’re noticeably better in both of those areas,” Bohannon said. 

Tommy Seidl, Alabama’s leading hitter, stayed hot at the plate, reaching base four times, having now tallied three hits in four of his last five games. The redshirt senior is batting .650 in that stretch and upped his season-total batting average to a staggering .413 with the performance.  

It looks like it could be a rainy weekend ahead, but if the weather holds up, Alabama will host Mississippi State. The first of a three-game set will begin Thursday, April 6, at 6 p.m. on SEC Network+.  

Questions or comments? Email Blake Byler (Sports Editor) at [email protected]