Alabama Baseball to Host Arkansas-Pine Bluff for Four Games
3/8/2017 2:21:00 PM | Baseball
The Crimson Tide and Golden Lions will meet for the fourth time in series history in Friday’s opener
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama welcomes Arkansas-Pine Bluff to Tuscaloosa for a four-game series beginning on Thursday that is scheduled to run through Sunday afternoon.
The Crimson Tide and Golden Lions are set for a 6 p.m. CT first pitch at Sewell-Thomas Stadium on Thursday, March 9. Friday is currently slated for a 6 p.m. CT first pitch with the potential for a doubleheader on that day due to weather. In the event of a twinbill, Friday's first game would being at 2 p.m. CT with the second game still scheduled for a 6 p.m. CT start. The two teams would then meet on Saturday at the regularly scheduled time of 2 p.m. CT for the series finale.
If the weather holds off, the two teams will square off at 2 p.m. CT on Saturday before rounding out the weekend with a 1 p.m. CT start in Sunday's series finale. All four games, regardless of time and days, will air live on SEC Network+ with the duo of Eli Gold and Lance Cormier calling all the action.
FOLLOW THE TIDE
Fans can follow the four games via the below outlets:
Watch: SEC Network+
Listen: 102.9 FM / CTSN / TuneIn App
Twitter: @AlabamaBSB
Live Stats: RollTide.com
LEADING OFF
• Arkansas-Pine Bluff enters the four-game set with a 2-8 overall record and has yet to win a game on the road in 2017. The Golden Lions are coming off a series win at home against Grambling last weekend, falling the opener before taking the final two games for the series victory. The pair of wins ended an eight-game losing streak for UAPB.
• Alabama and Arkansas-Pine Bluff will meet for the fourth, fifth, six and seventh times in series history, with the Tide holding a 3-0 advantage in the previous meetings. The two teams met for a three-game set in 2012 from Feb. 24-26. Alabama head coach Greg Goff owns a 2-1 career mark against UAPB.
• The four game set with Arkansas-Pine Bluff will be "Heroes Weekend" at The Joe, recognizing all police, fire, emergency services, hospital and city workers for all the hard work that they put in for our community. All heroes will receive free admission with their respective identification cards and can get up to four tickets for friends and family at a group rate.
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
THURSDAY: UA – Garret Rukes (Fr., LHP) vs. UAPB – TBD
FRIDAY: UA – TBD vs. UAPB – TBD
SATURDAY: UA – TBD vs. UAPB – TBD
SUNDAY: UA – TBD vs. UAPB – TBD
SCOUTING ALABAMA
• Alabama went 3-1 across the weekend against ULM and last Tuesday against Jacksonville State. The Tide fell, 2-1, in extra-innings to the Gamecocks in the midweek game before sweeping the Warhawks in three consecutive games last weekend.
• The Crimson Tide walked it off on Friday night, claiming a 4-3 win over ULM in the series opener in front of a sold-out Sewell-Thomas Stadium. Alabama entered the ninth knotted up at 3-3 before a leadoff single from Kyle Kaufman started the UA scoring rally. Kaufman was replaced by pinch-runner Connor Wright, who moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. In the next at-bat, Hunter Alexander lined a single up the chute to score Wright and claim the victory for the Tide.
• Sophomore Brock Love earned his first career win in Friday's contest, working a career-high tying 4.1 relief innings. Love collected a career-high 10 strikeouts and retired all 13 batters he faced in consecutive order.
• A pair of three-run innings proved the difference on Saturday, as Alabama clinched the series with the Warhawks thanks to a 6-2 victory in game two of the weekend. Chandler Avant led the Tide offense, finishing 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Sam Finnerty led UA in RBI, finishing with a pair, both of which came from a two-run double in his pinch-hit effort.
• The Tide received a strong pitching effort from starter, Jake Walters. The junior secured his second win of the season with 6.0 innings of work, allowing two runs (both unearned) on six hits with no walks and four strikeouts. Walters was followed by Garrett Suchey, who totaled 3.0 innings of scoreless baseball and faced just one over the minimum to earn his first career save.
• Alabama completed the sweep of ULM with a decisive 10-3 win on Sunday afternoon. The Tide used multi-hit efforts from Chandler Taylor, Tanner DeVinny and Avant to power the offense. Taylor finished with a team-high three hits, including his fifth home run of the season, while adding two RBI and a team-leading three runs scored. DeVinny, who notched his first career home run, contributed a 2-for-3 afternoon that included two runs, one walk and a team-high four RBI. Avant tallied his sixth multi-hit game of the season, going 2-for-5 with a stolen base.
• Finnerty tallied his first win of the season on Sunday, throwing 2.1 innings of one-run baseball. Four Tide relievers worked the final 3.0 innings of shutout baseball to keep the Warhawk offense at bay.
• The Alabama bullpen maintained a 0.71 ERA (1 ER/12.2 IP) and allowed four hits, issued three walks and compiled 17 strikeouts for the weekend against ULM. The relief arms claimed two of the three wins and collected one save against the Warhawks.
• The Crimson Tide fell, 2-1, in an extra-innings affair against Jacksonville State last Tuesday. The two teams went scoreless through the first three frames before the Tide struck in the fourth with Avant leading off the inning with a single. Avant moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt before Cobie Vance scored him with a single. JSU would answer in the top of the fifth before the two teams went scoreless the remainder of regulation to send the game to extras. The Gamecocks collected the go-ahead run in the 10th to seal the midweek win.
• Avant and Vance led the Alabama offense on Tuesday, with Avant contributing a 3-for-4 night to match his career high for hits, adding a double a run scored. Vance finished 2-for-4 with one RBI to extend his hitting streak to eight straight games.
SERIES HISTORY – ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF
• Alabama and Arkansas-Pine Bluff will meet for the fourth time in series history when the two teams match up on Thursday evening. The Crimson Tide owns a 3-0 all-time advantage in the series, sweeping the Golden Lions from Feb. 24-26 of 2012.
• The Crimson Tide shut out UAPB in the first two games of the series, winning 14-0 on Friday before a 7-0, series-clinching victory on Saturday. Alabama completed the sweep with a 9-3 win on Sunday afternoon.
• Alabama head coach Greg Goff owns a 2-1 career mark against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
ON DECK
Next up for Alabama are the Tide's final two non-conference midweek contests before the start of Southeastern Conference play. First up for Alabama is a 6 p.m. CT matchup with Eastern Illinois on Tuesday, March 14, before the Crimson Tide welcomes in-state Samford to Sewell-Thomas Stadium on Wednesday at 6 p.m. CT.
