NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The University of Alabama baseball team refused to go quietly, but couldn’t finish a second straight win over Vanderbilt Saturday to end the regular season. After beating the Commodores in 10 innings Friday, the Crimson Tide cut a six-run deficit to just one, but fell 14-10 to Vandy, the SEC regular season champion that set the SEC wins record. Now, Alabama will look ahead to the SEC tournament, where it will face the Auburn Tigers Tuesday in the second game of the day in Hoover. “What a fun game to be in,” UA coach Mitch Gaspard said. “It’ll be an exciting game and I know our players look forward to it, I know the fans will be excited about that and I know the SEC is pretty pleased to have that matchup on day one.” Alabama finished the regular season with a 32-24 record, including 14-15 in the SEC during a year where its young, scrappy team fought to stay in games longer than it has in years past. “We haven’t had a team like this in a while that continues to fight and compete regardless of the score,” Gaspard said. “They’re always in the game.” Gaspard feels that his team has done enough to earn an NCAA regional berth, regardless of what happens in the SEC tournament. “I feel like that win [Friday] night was really big,” Gaspard said. “The history tells you that team with 14 wins, 14-15 with a high RPI is going to get into a regional.” Justin Kamplain will get the start Tuesday for Alabama, Gaspard said. The Crimson Tide went deep into its bullpen in Saturday’s game, but Gaspard said it won’t affect pitching for Tuesday. Vanderbilt will be the favorite in the tournament, but for Alabama, it all starts with Auburn. “Right now, it’s trying to get wins,” he said. “You try to build your resume. Obviously the key is to win on Tuesday.”
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Alabama baseball set for SEC tournament after taking a game in series with Vanderbilt
May 18, 2013
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