Alabama could only muster two hits on Saturday afternoon against No. 7 Kentucky and both were vastly different types of hits.
One was an infield single in the bottom of the seventh that broke up a no-hitter. The other was a game-winning grand slam off the bat of Hunter Alexander, to give Alabama a 4-2 victory over the Wildcats.
Alabama (18-10, 3-5 SEC) clinched a series victory over a top-10 opponent for the first time this season.
“Great team win for us,” Brad Bohannon said. “Their starter (Zach) Haake was amazing. The kids did a great job of keeping their poise and scratching and clawing. Obviously Hunter got that big hit there.”
Walker McCleney led off the Alabama eighth inning with a walk. After two outs, Chandler Avant and Chandler Taylor eached walked to load the based. It ran the walk total up to nine for Haake, who was at 113 pitches.
The 115th pitch ended the night for Haake, as Alexander deposited an 0-1 slider over the left field wall, into the playground, to give Alabama a late 4-1 lead.
“I was really just trying to get a hit,” Alexander said. “He had thrown me a bunch of sliders my previous at bat. I believe it was five-in-a-row. I was sitting on it, I wasn’t swinging at a fastball. He threw the fastball first pitch, I knew he wasn’t going to throw it again. I just tried put a good swing on it.”
Alexander was not sure the ball was going to leave, especially when the Kentucky left fielder started to camp underneath it.
“I was a little nervous he was going to catch it,” he said. “Then it went over and I don’t remember much after that.”
Jake Walters, who came into the game with a 5.81 ERA, matched Haake pitch-for-pitch and was able to keep Kentucky’s offense in check. Walters pitched 7.1 innings, one earned run on seven hit, striking out seven and walking just one.
“I had about 4-5 pitches I was locating for strikes and getting them off balance with my off-speeds and coming back with fastballs,” Walters said.
Pitching against a guy throwing a no-hitter on the other side did not faze Walters.
“Usually in the SEC you’re going to go against great arms,” he said. “I’m just trying to match them and keeping us in contention.”
One night after earning a two-inning save, Deacon Medders entered the game for Alabama in the ninth inning in a 4-1 game, with the bases loaded and one out. He walked the first hitter he faced to make it a 4-2 game.
Medders however got a strikeout looking and a popout to short to preserve the win for the Crimson Tide.
Alabama will look for a series sweep on Sunday against Kentucky at 1 p.m.
“We won two close games against a really good team, but that doesn’t make our season,” Bohannon said. “If we come out and lay an egg tomorrow and then lay an egg Tuesday, it doesn’t mean as much. We have to build on it.”
