Bama Central

Dylan Smith Impresses in Game 1 of CSBI

The Crimson Tide's sophomore right-handed reliever allowed no runs and only two hits through two innings

Joey Blackwell

Alabama Athletics

In the first college baseball game since March, Alabama sophomore reliever Dylan Smith impressed at the College Summer Baseball Invitational in Bryan, Texas on Thursday night.

The CSBI is a four-team, six-game tournament consisting of college baseball players from all across the country. The tournament has faced some criticism regarding a sporting event during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the tournament’s organizers have been taking many precautions to ensure the safety of the athletes and staff.

In total, 16 different schools and 84 players are being represented at the tournament.

Smith entered the game for CSBI Unity at the top of the fourth, with his team down 5-0 to CSBI Liberty. After allowing a leadoff single to center fielder Coleman Grubbs of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Smith struck out three straight batters to end the top of the inning.

Smith remained in the game for the fifth, with the first batter in designated-hitter Julian Brock of Louisiana-Lafayette grounding out to the right side. Smith obtained his fourth strikeout by sitting down Texas A&M San Antonio catcher Aaron Walters.

Lamar first baseman Chase Kemp hit a ball deep to right-center that bounced off the wall for a double, but Smith kept his composure and ended his time on the mound with a groundout from Creighton shortstop Cameron Frederick.

In two innings pitched, Smith accounted for no runs off of two hits, walked none and struck out four.

Smith impressed to have not pitched in a game setting in almost four months. His fastball clocked in up to 94 with a breaking ball at roughly 79-80 mph. Overall, it was a solid day for the sophomore right-hander.

Despite the two strong innings from Smith along with a valiant comeback attempt by the Unity batters, they were unable to overcome the Liberty comeback and fell 11-10 in 10 innings.

The Unity will now wait to see who they will play tomorrow in Day 2 of the three-day invitational. With Thursday's loss, they will play the loser of Game 2 between the CSBI Freedom and the CSBI Independence. Regardless of who Smith and the Unity will play, their next game is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT on Friday.

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Joey Blackwell
JOEY BLACKWELL

Joey Blackwell is an award-winning journalist and assistant editor for BamaCentral and has covered the Crimson Tide since 2018. He primarily covers Alabama football, men's basketball and baseball, but also covers a wide variety of other sports. Joey earned his bachelor's degree in History from Birmingham-Southern College in 2014 before graduating summa cum laude from the University of Alabama in 2020 with a degree in News Media. He has also been featured in a variety of college football magazines, including Lindy's Sports and BamaTime.

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