Alabama had chances, but it failed to capitalize. It had a chance in the seventh and in the ninth, but failed to do the damage it needed, falling to Georgia 6-5 in the Sunday finale.
“We’re two swings away from being 3-0 in the SEC, and I guess you could say we are a swing away from being 0-3,” coach Brad Bohannon said. “That’s SEC baseball for you.”
Cobie Vance started the seventh inning with a walk. Joe Breaux and Walker McCleney followed, and were each hit by a pitch, loading the bases for slugger Chandler Taylor. Taylor struck out on three pitches, and Chandler Avant ground into the inning-ending double play.
In the final frame of the game, Alabama threatened again. Trailing by three, Breaux, with a runner on first doubled to the base of the left-field wall. After a strikeout, Taylor drew a full-count walk, setting the stage for Avant. Avant saw just one pitch, which he lined to the left-center field gap, cutting the lead to one. Keith Holcombe drilled the second pitch of his at bat, but right at the Bulldog first baseman, for the final out of the game.
“In the seventh when we don’t score, the kids are human,” Bohannon said. “There’s a small moment where we are really deflated, but to our kids’ credit, they came back in the ninth and really competed. We had a chance to win the game there late. When Avant gets the big hit everyone’s fired up, and everyone thinks Holcombe is about to get a big hit. Our kids are generally positive people and expect us to do well.”
Alabama trailed for almost the entire duration of Sunday’s game, and for generally most of the series. Georgia led 14 of the 27 innings during the weekend, including the entire game on Saturday. The big reason was Alabama struggled in the first inning. The Crimson Tide allowed nine runs in the first two games in the first inning alone, so Bohannon sent out lefty Garret Rukes.
Rukes, who has spent most of the season progressing his way back after Tommy John surgery last April, allowed his first run of the year, but allowed just one run in the opening frame.
“Garret has been outstanding, and he wasn’t as sharp as he has been in the first inning,” Bohannon said. “He managed the inning, and only gave up one run. I wasn’t excited about letting Georgia score in the first inning in all three games, but you can win a lot of baseball games and give up one run in the first.”
He went two innings, and allowed just one hit and one run, while striking out four.
Davis Vainer finished with the loss. He allowed three runs over the two innings he pitched. He struck out two and walked two.
Taylor added his team leading eighth home run, which landed five rows deep in the student section in right field.
Alabama heads to Birmingham, Alabama to take on UAB on Tuesday.
