Baseball Outlasts Xavier, 5-4, on Saturday Afternoon

Saturday, February 19

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

2 p.m.

Alabama

2-0

Xavier

0-2

Xavier

Alabama

Baseball Outlasts Xavier, 5-4, on Saturday Afternoon

2/19/2022 6:50:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Photo Gallery Highlights SEC Network+ Recap Postgame Press Conference

The Musketeers had the bases loaded in the ninth, but a 4-3 groundout secured the series-clinching win for the Crimson Tide

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama baseball held off a late push by Xavier to secure the 5-4 win on Saturday afternoon at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The series-clinching victory moved the Crimson Tide to 2-0 on the young season.

Xavier took the early lead with a first-inning home run, but Alabama answered with four in the bottom of the second. Both teams went scoreless until the seventh when the Musketeers were able to cross one. Xavier added another tally in the eighth to make it a one-run affair. Alabama then widened the gap with an insurance run in the home half of the eighth thanks to a solo homer from Drew Williamson. That extra run would prove crucial as Xavier was able to plate one in the ninth and reach a pair with two down before a Tide pitching change.

Brock Guffey entered, and delivered, for a second consecutive game, picking up the save on Saturday. The Tide reliever took the hill with runners on first and second and two down. A hit-by-pitch loaded them up, but the redshirt senior managed to get a 4-3 groundout to end the ballgame in UA's favor, 5-4. Hunter Furtado (1-0) picked up the win, tossing 3.0 scoreless innings and striking out four in his Alabama debut.

Zane Denton and Caden Rose led the way on offense, each recording a three-hit day. Denton finished 3-for-5 with a double, an RBI and one run scored while Rose went 3-for-4 with a run. Williamson led the Tide with two RBI and two runs as part of a 2-for-5 showing that included the home run.

From Head Coach Brad Bohannon

"I'm really glad to get a win against a good Xavier team. We got to learn a lot of valuable lessons and still come out on top. We were just efficient enough on both sides of the ball today. I thought after we put up that four-spot in the second inning, we had a couple of chances to create some separation and bust the game open but were unable to do so. Obviously, we didn't pitch it very well today, gave up way too many free passes. We didn't defend in the field particularly well, either. And to still to do all those things against a good team, and come out with a win, we'll take it. We have a lot to work on and get better at, and it all starts tomorrow."

How It Happened

T1 | Xavier got on the board first with a solo a home run from Jack Housinger. (1-0, Xavier)
B2 | Caden Rose and Jim Jarvis started the rally with back-to-back, one-out singles. Rose came around in the next at-bat on a third straight single, this one from Drew Williamson. A sacrifice fly by Dominic Tamez brought in Jarvis with Williamson coming in to score on a double from Zane Denton. William Hamiter capped the inning's scoring with a single back up the middle to plate Denton and give the Tide a three-run advantage. (4-1, Alabama)
T7 | The Musketeers cut the lead to two on a solo homer from Tyler DeMartino. (4-2, Alabama)
T8 | A hit-by-pitch gave Xavier a one-out baserunner. After stealing second safely, the Musketeer runner proceeded to take third and then scored on an errant throw by the Tide catcher. (4-3, Alabama)
B8 | Drew Williamson launched the second pitch he saw over the Xavier bullpen to push the Tide advantage to two. (5-3, Alabama)
T9 | Xavier led off the inning with a double. The leadoff man moved to third on a wild pitch before a walk put runners on the corners for XU. Following a strikeout, a fielder's choice that resulted in a Tide miscue allowed the man from third to cross to make it a one-run game. (5-4, Alabama)

Postgame Notes

The Crimson Tide totaled 13 hits on the day. Alabama posted double-digit hits in 25 of 58 games a season ago.
Zane Denton finished with a career-high tying three hits on the afternoon. The junior recorded three hits on six previous occasions with the last instance coming on April 11, 2021 at Texas A&M. Denton finished last season tied for the team lead in multi-hit games with 21.
With his 3-for-5 day, Denton has now recorded a hit in five straight games dating back to June 4 of last season. Across the five-game hitting streak, he is batting .350 (7-20) with three doubles, one home run, three RBI, three runs and a pair of walks.
Caden Rose totaled three hits in the game to match his career-best total. Rose also registered three hits against UAB on April 27 of last season.
Dylan Ray made his Crimson Tide debut after missing last season while recovering from injury.
Transfer Hunter Furtado made his Alabama debut, picking up the win in the process.
Freshman Will Hodo made his first career start for the Crimson Tide on Saturday afternoon.
ATTENDANCE: 3,673

Alabama will go for the series sweep of Xavier on Sunday afternoon at The Joe. The Crimson Tide calls on sophomore left-hander Grayson Hitt while the Musketeers counter with righty George Eisenhardt, a freshman. Game three is set for a 1 p.m. CT start on SEC Network+.

Get all the latest information on the team by following @AlabmaBSB on Twitter and Instagram and on Facebook at Alabama Baseball. General athletic news can be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and AlabamaAthletics on Facebook.