No. 14 Alabama Baseball Falls to No. 5 Tennessee in SEC Opener

No. 5 Tennessee baseball takes Game 1 against No. 14 Alabama.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.- The No. 14 Alabama Crimson Tide baseball team dropped its SEC opener to the No. 5 Tennessee Volunteers 11-3 on Friday night at Sewell-Thomas Stadium.

Tennessee tacked the first run of the night onto the board in the top half of the first inning with a bases-loaded drawn walk by Robin Villeneuve. Alabama responded in the bottom half of the first with back-to-back solo home runs by TJ McCants and Ian Petrutz.

Then, it was all Volunteers.

From the second inning on, Tennessee scored nine unanswered runs, a pair of two-run homers in the third and fourth by Dylan Dreiling and Blake Burke, an RBI single by Cannon Peebles and a two-RBI double by Dalton Bargo in the fifth, and a two-run homer by Kavares Tears in the sixth. Burke also scored in the eighth on a wild pitch.

The Crimson Tide added on a final run in the ninth, a solo home run by Will Hodo. 

Alabama ace Ben Hess started on the mound for the Crimson Tide. In his fifth outing of the year, Hess went 3.2 innings and allowed two hits, four runs (all earned), one hit-by-pitch, walked five batters, and struck out six. Aidan Moza, Coulson Buchanan, and Pierce George made appearances out of the bullpen. 

"We just put too many guys on for free tonight," said Alabama baseball head coach Rob Vaughn. "I think that's the biggest story. For a dangerous lineup like that, too many times getting into an 0-2 count, then ended up 3-2 and getting them back in the count with uncompetitive pitches. Then, getting behind and them making us pay for it and that's what baseball looks like. I don't think that was anything other than a blip in the radar."

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  How it Happened: 

• Will Portera draws a walk with no outs, but a pop up by Bryce Eblin, a fielder's choice by Gage Miller, and strikeout by TJ McCants ends the game. Tennessee wins 11-3. 

• Will Hodo hits a solo home run to center field in the bottom of the ninth. Alabama trails 11-3. 

• George steps back out to pitch the ninth and leaves a runner in scoring position. Last call for the Crimson Tide, down nine runs.

• Alabama gets some traffic in the bottom of the eighth, but a Guscette strikeout strands a pair. No movement on the scoreboard. Still 11-2, and the Crimson Tide has only three outs left for its bats.

• A strikeout by George ends the top of the eighth. McCants, Petrutz and Sleight are up in the home half. Both of the first two have home runs tonight. It will take something more sustained if Alabama is to somehow find its way back into this one.

• A wild pitch scores Burke from third, but Amick is thrown out at third base trying to advance. 11-2 Tennessee with one man down in the top of the eighth.

• Two pitches for Behnke and one side retired. On to the final two (or potentially fewer) innings. Coming to the mound to pitch for Alabama is flamethrower Pierce George. Will Portera is playing second base. Eblin is at short.

• AJ Causey exits to an ovation from the visiting fans sitting behind the first base dugout. His line: 6.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K. 111 TP. A tremendous outing. Behnke comes on to take his place.

• Causey is still throwing to start off the seventh. Andrew Behnke is warming in the visitor bullpen.

• Buchanan posts the first scoreless frame for Alabama defensively since the second inning. Stretch time at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. Justin Lebron will lead off the bottom of the inning. Positive top of the seventh for Alabama, which still trails Tennessee 10-2.

• Causey reached 100 pitches with two gone in the bottom of the sixth. He then struck out Will Hodo looking to presumably end his night. Quality start and then some for the sidearm pitcher. Two runs allowed, both in the very first inning. He fanned eight.

• Causey is back out for the sixth inning with 92 pitches.

• Of note, the 10-run mercy rule is a matter of SEC policy, as opposed to coaches' agreement.

• The visiting sixth concludes with a groundout. Sam Mitchell is warming up in the Alabama bullpen. 5, 6, 7 hitters due up for the Crimson Tide in the sixth. The home team is now in some peril of being run ruled down 10-2.

• Another Volunteers home run, this time by Kavares Tears, exits the yard by way of center field, and Tennessee has put double digits on the Crimson Tide at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. 10-2 in the top of the sixth.

• Two singles, by McCants and Petrutz, don't lead to anything in the way of offense for Alabama in the fifth. Tennessee starter AJ Causey, who has more than 90 pitches, has likely seen his last batter of the night. 6-2 Volunteers.

• Buchanan retires the first matter he faces and puts an end to the Volunteers' three-run fifth. Alabama needs some offensive juice. Power hitter Bryce Eblin will lead off the Crimson Tide's fifth inning, then the card turns over. This offense is capable of big innings in quick fashion, scoring five in the ninth inning of the midweek on Tuesday.

• Tennessee has made it 8-2 on a pinch-hit double by Dalton Bargo. Coulson Buchanan comes in to pitch, replacing Moza.

• One more run crosses for Tennessee with two out in the visiting fifth. Dreiling, whom Alabama can't seem to retire tonight, scores it on a Peebles single. 6-2.

• Three groundouts for Alabama in the hole half of the fourth, and Causey retires the Crimson Tide 1, 2, 3. Still 5-2, Tennessee.

• Alabama gets out of the fourth inning, but Tennessee has plated four unanswered. The home run is playing a major factor in this series opener. Up in the bottom of the fourth will be Guscette, Hodo and Lebron. Guscette still looking for his first home run of the year.

• Home run by Blake Burke, the first batter faced on the night by Moza. It's now 5-2 in favor of the Volunteers. His seventh long ball of the season.

• Aidan Moza will now pitch for Alabama. Hess goes 3.2 with six strikeouts, five walks and three runs, all earned. Two out in the top of the fourth.

• Three straight fly ball outs for Alabama, including one by William Hamiter that's caught at the track, and the Crimson Tide is retired in order. Three innings in the books. Tennessee leads 3-2.

• With a young Volunteer fan shouting "Ball four," on a 3-0 count, Hess rallies to induce an inning-ending flyout on a payoff pitch, leaving one Tennessee player on base. Up first for the Crimson Tide in the bottom of the third is Ian Petrutz, who's hit one out tonight.

• Dylan Dreiling gives the Volunteers the lead back in the top of the third with a two-run home run. 3-2 with two away in the frame.

• McCants strikes out swinging to strand the bases loaded and end the second inning. Still 2-1, Alabama. Causey and Hess appear to be settling in, though Causey had some trouble in the second. He worked around it.

• Much smoother frame for Hess in the top of the second. He works two full counts and strikes out the last two batters he faces, both looking. His pitch count is now at 43.

• Back-to-back swinging strikeouts by Causey end the first inning, but the Crimson Tide is in front by a run. 8, 9, 1 coming up for Tennessee in the second.

• Ian Petrutz follows his fellow outfielder with a blast to the edge of the right field terrace, exciting the student crowd that waited an extra hour for this game. 2-1 Alabama with one out in the bottom of the first.

• TJ McCants squares things up at one run apiece with a one-out solo shot over the batter's eye off Volunteers starter AJ Causey.

• Hess gets it together and strikes out Dean Curley looking in four pitches to retire the first-inning side with only one run of damage. Alabama up to bat for the first time in league play in the home half.

• Ball four with the bases juiced and it's mound visit time for Hess. Two consecutive free passes and three in four hitters. 1-0, Tennessee.

• Ben Hess issues his second walk of the inning, and Tennessee has loaded the bases with two out.

• First pitch at 7:03 p.m. CT by Hess is popped up. One out in the top of the first straight out of the blocks.

• Due to rain in the area, the Alabama vs. Tennessee baseball game has been delayed for one hour. First pitch is set for 7 p.m. CT. 

Alabama's Starting Lineup	Tennessee's Starting Lineup
3B Gage Miller	2B Christian Moore
CF TJ McCants	1B Blake Burke
LF Ian Petrutz	3B Billy Amick
RF Evan Sleight	RF Kavares Tears
DH William Hamiter	LF Dylan Dreiling
C Mac Guscette	DH Robin Villeneuve
1B Will Hodo	SS Dean Curley
SS Justin Lebron	C Cannon Peebles
2B Bryce Eblin	CF Hunter Ensley
P Ben Hess	P A.J. Causey

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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.

Takeaways From Alabama Baseball's Non-Conference Slate