Gage Miller's Three-Run Home Run Pushes No. 14 Alabama Baseball Past No. 5 Tennessee to Take Series

No. 14 Alabama baseball takes the series against No. 5 Tennessee in SEC Opening Weekend.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— In the biggest weekend of the season, the No. 14 Alabama Crimson Tide baseball team pulled away late to beat the No. 5 Tennessee Volunteers 7-6 on Sunday afternoon to win its first SEC series.

"What I think we showed ourselves more than anything is what this group is capable of doing," said Alabama baseball head coach Rob Vaughn. "We can go swing it with anybody, we can go pitch it with anybody and we can compete."

Ian Petrutz gave the Crimson Tide the early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first with an RBI single, his first of two on the day, but the Volunteers tacked on four runs in the top of the third with a three-RBI double from Dylan Dreiling and an RBI double by Robin Villeneuve to pull in front. 

The Crimson Tide scored three unanswered runs to tie up the game on Petrutz’s second RBI single and a sacrifice fly from Evan Sleight in the third, and a solo home run by Will Hodo in the fourth.

The game remained tied until the top of the seventh when Tennessee’s Kavares Tears grounded out and brought in the go-ahead run for the Volunteers. That was until the bottom of the eighth inning when Gage Miller hit a three-run blast to put Alabama back in front and eventually would be the game-winning hit. 

The Volunteers loaded the bases in the top of the ninth inning and got back within one, scoring on a wild pitch, however, could not complete a comeback. 

Hagan Banks started on the mound for the Crimson Tide. The junior, who remained on a pitch count, went 2.0 innings and allowed three hits, two runs (earned), walked one batter, and struck out two. Kade Snell, Braylon Myers, Tyler Fay, Matthew Heiberger, and Aidan Moza made appearances out of the bullpen. 

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How it Happened: 

• Tennessee loads up the bases with one out in the top of the ninth. Aidan Moza is coming in to close the game. 

• Alabama strands two runners in the bottom of the eighth. 7-5 will be the lead going into the top of the ninth. For now, Heiberger is back out to close it.

• Tennessee makes a pitching change to Kirby Connell after the Miller HR. 5.1 innings and four runs, all earned, for Nate Snead. He kept his squad level most of the way.

• Gage Miller just missed a home run last night in his first plate appearance. Today, down a run with two out in the eighth, the playground/parking lot area in left got a big one. Huge pull side blast for his ninth home run of the season. It gives Alabama a 7-5 lead.

• Heiberger sends the Volunteers down in order in the eighth with a punchout and two flyouts. Guscette, Hodo and Lebron will start the next half-inning, with Alabama down to its last six outs in the series.

• A first pitch flyout with two away from Hamiter strands McCants (the tying run) at third and puts away the home seventh. Not a weekend for Hamiter to write home about. Tennessee leads by a run going into the eighth.

• Kavares Tears gets an RBI groundout off Heiberger to snag the lead back for the visitors. A Dreiling groundout follows to end the frame. Stretch time. 5-4 Volunteers.

• Fay strikes out his first batter then lets the next two on with hits. Tennessee has runners on second and third. To the mound now is fastball thrower Matthew Heiberger. Seems evident the coaching staff is looking for strikeouts in this spot from the freshman Oak Mountain native. Fay throwing last night may also have played a role in the brevity of this outing. Reminder, it's still all tied up in the seventh, at four runs per side.

• Nothing doing after a leadoff single by Will Hodo that bounced off the second base bag. Alabama goes down scoreless in the sixth. Coming in to pitch will be Tyler Fay, who's kept dealing out of the pen this spring and was strong yesterday. One of the emerging freshmen on this team. He's a ground ball pitcher who's going to hit the Volunteers with sinking stuff.

• A flyout by the catcher draws the curtain closed on the Tennessee sixth. Myers is through three scoreless innings. What an outing for him. Tyler Fay and Matthew Heiberger warming in the Alabama pen. 4-4 is the score. This series might just come down to it.

• The Crimson Tide gets an Evan Sleight single and three fly-ball outs to comprise its fifth inning. Sixth inning for the Volunteers on deck with Myers still on the mound. No score for either side since Hodo evened things up.

• Tennessee down incident-free in the top of the fifth with a web gem from Lebron making the first out of the frame. Heart of the order coming up for Alabama with 3, 4, 5. Things are still knotted up on the scoreboard.

• Two flyouts bring an end to the fourth inning. Nothing for the home offense after the home run, but the students are happier, and the game is even again. 4-4. 

• Will Hodo gets behind in the count after taking some enticing pitches and does not miss the fourth one in the AB. He rides one out to the right field terrace for a home run to tie the game at four apiece in the fourth. His sixth this season.

• Petrutz makes a jumping catch at the wall on a Blake Burke fly ball to retire the side in the top of the fourth. Volunteers strand leadoff hitter Christian Moore, who's 2-3 today, at first base. Still a 4-3 game.

• Three innings down on Sunday at The Joe. The Crimson Tide gets two and makes this thing a one-run contest going into the fourth. Braylon Myers is on to pitch. The junior has proven himself to be an innings eater capable of striking guys out. 4-3, Volunteers lead.

• A sac fly for Sleight brings McCants home. It's now a one-run ball game. 4-3 Tennessee. Hamiter to the dish with an opportunity as a passed ball moves Petrutz into scoring position.

• Yet another good day for Ian Petrutz, whose second single of the afternoon adds another RBI to make it 4-2. They're on the corners for Sleight, who's cleaning up.

• Chris Stamos (not John) is now pitching for Tennessee.

• The frame ends on a groundout to the shortstop. Four runs, three hits for the Volunteers. Alabama now trails by three and has a powerful part of the lineup coming to the plate in the 9, 1 and 2 hitters.

• Robin Villeneuve singles home Dreiling. This thing has turned on its head. 4-1 Tennessee. Mound visit time for Snell with Braylon Myers warming.

• Dylan Dreiling hits a bases-clearing triple off Snell, who'd walked another to load the bags. Two gone in the visiting third. It's now 3-1 Volunteers.

• A leadoff walk and a single spell the end of the line for Banks to start the third inning. Snell will come on in relief. Banks finishes with two full, three hits and a pair of strikeouts on 39 pitches.

• The Alabama bats go down in order in the second. Justin Lebron strikes out swinging on a ball that ran in and hit him to end the inning. Banks is back out to pitch the upcoming third with a 1-0 lead.

• Banks strikes out two in the second. On a pitch count, he's at 29 following a couple good frames. Kade Snell is warming in the bullpen. Midway through two, no score for the Tennessee lineup as of yet.

• Hamiter flies out to end the inning. He's still searching for something to get down in this series. 1-0, Alabama, through one inning.

• Ian Petrutz hits a one-out single to score Gage Miller, who led off with a hit of his own then advanced to second on a balk. He was coming home all the way. The Crimson Tide strikes in the bottom of the first for the third game in a row and leads it 1-0.

• One single and no score for Tennessee in the top of the first. The efficient inning that the recently returning Hagan Banks needed, throwing just 11 pitches. Miller, McCants and Petrutz take their first turns in the home half.

• First pitch from Banks at 1:02 p.m. CT.

• Tennessee in the same anthracite road uniforms as they wore Friday night in an 11-3 victory.

• The Sunday crimsons return for Alabama after being absent last Sunday because they were previously worn during that Saturday's doubleheader.

• First pitch for Game 3 is set for 1:02 p.m. CT.

Tennessee's Starting Lineup:	Alabama's Starting Lineup:
2B Christian Moore	3B Gage Miller
1B Blake Burke	CF TJ McCants
3B Billy Amick	LF Ian Petrutz
RF Kavares Tears	RF Evan Sleight
LF Dylan Dreiling	DH William Hamiter
DH Robin Villeneuve	C Mac Guscette
CF Hunter Ensley	1B Will Hodo
SS Dean Curley	SS Justin Lebron
C Cal Stark	2B Bryce Eblin
P AJ Russell	P Hagan Banks

How to Watch: 

Friday's series opener, set for 6 p.m. CT, will be on SEC Network+. Games two and three, on Saturday (7 p.m. CT) and Sunday (1 p.m. CT) will be broadcast on the SEC Network.

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