Alabama only won one game in its three-game series with Texas A&M, but it was an important one.
With its 6-2 victory in game two of Saturday’s doubleheader, the Crimson Tide ended the nation’s longest active winning streak. The Aggies won their first 24 games of the season and broke the SEC record for most consecutive wins with a 10-5 victory in game one of the doubleheader.
“It is important to get a win,” Alabama coach Mitch Gaspard said. “Their streak is about them. For us, you want to win a series at home. Obviously that is the goal. … Disappointing we didn’t get game two of the series. I thought that was a game to get as well.”
The Crimson Tide was leading 5-3 late in game one of the doubleheader, when the bullpen imploded, giving up seven runs over the final two innings. The Aggies finished the game with 16 hits including eight off Alabama starter Will Carter and five off reliever Thomas Burrows, who gave up five runs in just two-thirds of an inning.
In Alabama’s lone victory of the series, the Crimson Tide scored four runs in the first inning off A&M starter Turner Larkins before freshman Chandler Avant added a two-run double in the eighth inning to make the score 6-2.
Sophomore Geoffrey Bramblett (4-1) started game two of the doubleheader and pitched seven innings giving up just two runs. Bramblett had to work out of multiple jams caused by his defense’s four errors, including two by usually sure- handed shortstop Mikey White.
“Geoff was really good and we needed it,” Gaspard said. “It was really a struggle today in a lot of areas. I was most pleased with the way he responded to some bad play behind him. Typically, that is uncharacteristic of us making four errors.”
In Friday’s 4-2 loss, the Crimson Tide was dominated by A&M starter Grayson Long. The junior right-hander struck out 14 in just six innings of work and gave up one run on three hits. Alabama finished the first game with 17 total strikeouts, the most since it struck out 17 times against Louisville in 2013.
Alabama is currently in the midst of a tough SEC stretch that includes a weekend visit to No. 3 Florida and a home series the following week with No. 2 LSU.
