University of Tennessee Athletics
Vols Drop 11-10 Slugfest to Alabama
April 12, 2008 | Baseball
Box Score??|??Box Score (PDF)????
KNOXVILLE ??? Tennessee and Alabama combined for 28 hits and seven home runs in a series-opening slugfest Saturday at Robert M. Lindsay Field at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. The Crimson Tide held off a ninth-inning UT rally to post an 11-10 win. Vols shortstop Danny Lima had a team-high three hits as the Big Orange fell to 20-13 (7-6 SEC).
Rain prevented the teams from taking the field Friday, so two games were scheduled for Saturday. Game two is set to begin at 7 p.m. ET and will be televised regionally on SportSouth. The series-finale remains set for Sunday at 2 p.m. ET.
Alabama was out-hit 15-13 in Saturday???s opening game and committed three errors against just one by the Vols, but the Crimson Tide???s two-run eighth inning gave them the cushion necessary to improve to 20-15 (6-7 SEC).
Gusting winds played a hand in the game???s opening run, scored by Tennessee centerfielder Kentrail Davis. The freshman sent a high flyball to right field with one out in the top of the first. It appeared to be a routine play as Alabama outfielder Kent Matthes camped beneath the ball, but Matthes dropped it when it hit his glove. Davis, meanwhile, on a full sprint, had nearly reached second base when the drop occurred. Davis continued toward third, and when Matthes??? hurried throw to third base left the playing field, Davis scurried home to give the Vols an early 1-0 lead. Matthes was charged with two errors on the play, and the run went down as unearned.
The Tide used an RBI single by catcher Mike Sharp and a three-run homer off the bat of third baseman Jake Smith to jump ahead 4-1 in the top of the second. Smith???s homer to left field was the first of seven in the game, as the persistently strong winds carried balls in that direction all afternoon.
Vols third baseman Cody Brown started Saturday after a one-game injury absence (left leg muscle strain) and belted a solo homer to left in his first plate appearance of the day. The junior???s second-inning blast was his fourth of the season and the 13th of his career. He finished the game 2-for-5 with two runs and two RBI.
A two-run homer to left by Alabama???s Brandon May in the top of the third inning gave the Tide a 6-2 lead on five hits.
Tennessee right fielder Josh Liles smacked a two-out, solo homer in the bottom of the fourth to help the Vols pull within three runs. It was the freshman???s second longball of the season.
One inning later, Vols first baseman Jeff Lockwood and Brown logged back-to-back RBI basehits to cut Alabama???s lead to a single run, 6-5. Freshman designated hitter P.J. Polk followed Brown???s single with an infield hit that loaded the bases with two outs, and Tide starting pitcher Austin Hyatt then issued an RBI walk to Liles, tying the game at 6-6.
Liles??? free pass marked the end of Hyatt???s outing, as left-hander Will Stroup was called out of the Alabama bullpen. Stroup quickly issued a five-pitch RBI walk to UT shortstop Danny Lima, giving Tennessee its first lead since the top of the first inning.
But just as sure as the winds kept blowing, the home runs kept coming. Tide first baseman Matt Bentley sent a two-run blast out of the park in left in the top of the sixth to restore Alabama???s lead. And Sharp followed with a solo homer of his own???again to left field???giving the Tide a 9-7 edge.
Tennessee put runners on first and second with no outs in the bottom of the sixth, and both advanced into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt by Vols catcher Yan Gomes. Lockwood then plated Davis with an RBI groundout to make the score 9-8 in favor of the Tide. Davis???s sixth-inning run was his third of the game.
Alabama added a pair of unearned runs in the top of the eighth to stretch its lead back to three runs, 11-8. And Lockwood put a solo home run into the left-field bleachers in the bottom of the eighth to bring the score to 11-9. Lockwood???s dinger was his fifth of the season and the ninth of his career.
Tennessee rallied in the ninth, loading the bases with no outs and the top of the order set to dig in. Tide closer Josh Copeland then recorded a strikeout before Davis sent an RBI sacrifice fly to centerfield to make it a one-run game. But Copeland induced a game-ending grounder one batter later to give his club the series lead.
UT starting pitcher Nick Hernandez worked six full innings in which he allowed nine runs on nine hits with a walk and two strikeouts. He shouldered the loss to fall to 1-2 on the year.
Stroup picked up the win to up his record to 4-1, and Copeland made good on his fourth save of the year.
Tennessee relievers Steve Crnkovich and D.J. Leffler combined to pitch the final three innings, allowing no earned runs on four hits.
