The University of Alabama baseball team saw its post-season run come to an end on Monday as they lost the tiebreaker game to the Clemson Tigers 8-6. The Tigers survived a late rally by the Tide in order to secure a spot in the College World Series.
“First of all, congratulations to Clemson,” head coach Mitch Gaspard said. “Offensively, they were really good. The last two games, they really jumped on us with their offense. They put a lot of really good swings on a lot of pitches. They were able to extend their lead. Pitching-wise, I thought we battled really hard. They just continued to put the barrel on a lot of balls.”
The Crimson Tide finished its season with a 42-25 record, including a stretch which Alabama won 13 of its last 17 games. This marked the 14th 40-win season in Alabama history and the first one since the 2006 season.
“I’ve been coaching for 24 years as an assistant and a head coach, and I’ve never been more proud of a team than this group,” Gaspard said. “The way we finished up the season over the last month, the way we competed, was as good as any I’ve ever seen. To put ourselves back into a position to win the game in the ninth inning speaks volumes about our team. I couldn’t be more proud to be the coach of this Alabama baseball team.”
The Clemson batters gave Alabama pitcher Nathan Kilcrease trouble with 11 hits as they picked up two runs in the second, third and fourth inning respectively, to make it a 6-1 game going into the fifth inning.
“I wasn’t really tired,” Kilcrease said. “I just couldn’t get into a rhythm out there. Every out I had I had to work hard for it. They did a great job of battling. I was pretty amped up in the first inning, but that was actually one of my better innings.”
Alabama did not give up easily either, as the team put together hits to have a ninth inning rally. The Tide scored five runs with two outs on the board to cut Clemson’s lead to 8-6.
While the result of the game may have been one the team may not be proud of, second baseman Ross Wilson was pleased with the team’s resiliency.
“We just kept battling,” Wilson said. “[Kevin] Brady came out kind of wild, got himself in trouble, and [Brett] Booth hits a home run. We got excited and kept getting guys on. You just never know what can happen. I didn’t think they would pitch to Jake [Smith], or I really thought he was going to hit one out. It speaks volumes of our team that we can even start a comeback like that in the bottom of the ninth inning when everyone thought we were out of it.”
While the rally may have not produced a win for the Alabama team, it showcased the talent coming back next season for the Tide, including freshman Brett Booth who averaged .357 with a homerun and two RBIs in eight post-season games. Performances by players like Booth have been key to the late-season push.
“For the longest time, we were scratching and clawing, trying to get out of the funk we were in, and it just happened one day,” Wilson said. “Everything started clicking like we knew it could. Pitching, hitting, defense; we kept getting key hits. I’ve been proud of all our guys. It’s been a fun ride. We tried to just ride that wave out and unfortunately we didn’t get to our ultimate goal, but it’s been fun.”
