It was a series that Alabama needed to win to keep pace in the SEC standings and the Crimson Tide got it done as they defeated Georgia in the rubber game of a 3 game series Sunday, 5-3. After dropping the series opener 4-1 on Friday night, Alabama responded with a bottom of the 9th comeback win on Saturday,7-6, and did just enough to defeat Georgia on Sunday. Winning close games is a welcome sight for Jim Wells' club.
“Finding a way to win the close games is huge," said Crimson Tide reliever Tommy Hunter, who came on in the eighth inning in relief of starer Austin Hyatt. “We hadn’t been doing that all year and now in the last four games, we’ve won like three close games so maybe that will be a trend."
Alabama fell behind immediately as Georgia’s Ryan Paisel led off the game with a single and Bulldog shortstop Gordon Beckham followed with a home run off Hyatt that put Georgia up 2-0.
“Everything [Hyatt] was throwing early was up and [Beckham] got a ball up in the wind," Wells said. “But Austin settled down, just like he did last weekend and really pitched well." Hyatt worked into the seventh inning and didn’t allow Georgia another run, as Alabama came back gradually.
The Crimson Tide scored one run in the bottom of the first inning as Emeel Salem led off with a double, then scored on Brandon May’s single. In the bottom of the fourth inning, Alabama took the lead with two more runs against Georgia starter Dean Weaver. Brandon Belcher had a sacrifice fly for one of the RBIs in the inning, while Greg Paiml delivered a two-out RBI single to give Alabama a lead it would not subsequently relinquish.
Alabama appeared to have the opportunity to blow the game open in the seventh inning, when it loaded the bases with no outs. Alex Avila then singled in two runs, giving UA a 5-2 lead, but the rally stopped there.
It appeared that Alabama might regret not getting the insurance runs when Georgia loaded the bases with one out in the top of the eighth inning. But Alabama reliever Lane Shoup coaxed a ground ball to the mound out of Georgia’s Myles Starr, retiring the runner at the plate on a fielder’s choice. Hunter then came on and retired Paisel to end the inning.
In the ninth inning, Hunter struck out Beckham but then gave up a single, a walk and an RBI single by Matt Olson. An error by Tide third baseman Jake Smith resulted in a bases-loaded, one-out situation, but Hunter struck out Georgia’s Luke Stewart and Joey Lewis to end the game. Hyatt (4-1) was credited with the decision.
The win moved the Alabama to 7-8 in Southeastern Conference play, good for seventh place in the league standings midway through the conference race. UA is 22-15 overall. Georgia fell to 13-23 overall and 5-10 in SEC play.
Alabama will be back in action on Wednesday, hosting South Alabama.
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