No. 19 Alabama Baseball Clinches Manhattan College Series with Offensive Outburst

It was absolute dominance in the run column for the Alabama baseball team in the second game of the season, leading to a series win.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.- Everything clicked offensively in the second game of the opening weekend for the No. 19 Alabama baseball team. In contrast to Friday’s season opener, the runs kept coming on Saturday in the game that proved to be the series clincher. It only took seven innings for Alabama to close the book on the opening-series triumph with a 15-0 rout against Manhattan College.

In many ways, the weekend thus far has been a tale of two games for the visitors’ pitching staff. On Opening Day, the Jaspers’ (0-2) arms settled in after the early frames. That did not happen in the weekend’s second act as miscues piled up. Those fielding miscues didn’t help the walks and stolen bases that also continued to mount. Starting pitcher Noah Mattera went just two innings and the batting lineup didn’t pick up a hit until the fifth inning, the only offense of the day for Manhattan. There would not be another hit.

Meanwhile, it was a banner day for the Crimson Tide’s (2-0) offense, still absent a home run. TJ McCants, who through two games has lived out getting on base and scoring runs, came close in the fifth when he knocked an RBI double off the right field wall. His day amounted to three hits, two runs scored and another stolen base. He had the first run of the game. Shortstop Justin Lebron almost collected an inverse golden sombrero, walking three times and recording one hit for an RBI. Second baseman Mason Swinney made his first 2024 start and crossed home plate three times.

Catcher Mac Guscette had a productive afternoon at the dish. The former Florida transfer equaled McCants’ three hits and scored two runs of his own, to go with a quartet of RBIs. While the bats were on effective and consistent display (12 hits, five for extra bases), the Jaspers gave Alabama some help: among the ways Crimson Tide runners scored were wild pitches (twice), a throwing error and a passed ball. There were also multiple outfield chances flubbed by Manhattan College that those in the venue figured would be put away academically.

Riley Quick didn’t have to make up for any offensive struggles in his first start of the 2024 campaign. The sophomore tossed three no-hit frames and had five strikeouts to only one walk, facing 10 batters and throwing 42 pitches. That was good enough to earn him the win. Mattera was the day's losing pitcher. Three other Crimson Tide pitchers saw action in the game and only the debuting Zane Adams surrendered a hit. Head coach Rob Vaughn has prioritized effective strikeout pitching, with the help of associate head coach Jason Jackson. It would’ve been a tall task to equal the 15 strikeouts Alabama posted on Friday, but Saturday’s 10 was enough to handle business. 

How It Happened:

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• Two strikeouts and a ground out ends the game. Alabama wins 15-0 in a run rule game.

• TJ McCants flied out, William Hamiter hit a single, Will Hodo strikes out, and Evan Sleight flied out. Alabama leads 15-0 and Manhattan College is down to its final three outs. 

• John Kwiatowski enters the game out of the bullpen for Manhattan College. 

• Two fly outs and a ground out get Alabama off the field. The Crimson Tide leads 15-0 heading into the bottom of the sixth. 

• Austin Morris is pitching for the Crimson Tide, Will Hamiter has entered the game in left field, and Will Portera is in at third base. 

• A flyout by Mizell ends a five-run bottom of the fifth inning. It is now 15-0, Alabama.

• TJ McCants keeps balling. He sends a double off the wall to score Coleman Mizell, who got a hit in his first college plate appearance. 11-0 Alabama.

• The no-hitter officially goes by the boards in T5 with Zane Adams now pitching, but the shutout is still on heading into the home half of the fifth. 10-0 Crimson Tide.

• Zane Adams is coming into the game in relief of Greg Farone. 

• Bryce Eblin grounds out to end the fourth inning, but Alabama leads it 10-0.

• Carter Cowburn is coming in out of the bullpen for Manhattan College. The Crimson Tide has two runners on with two outs. 

• Mac Guscette hits an RBI single to put Alabama into double digits. 

• Evan Sleight strikes out and Hodo steals second. 

• Will Hodo draws a leadoff walk. 

• Farone strikes out two of his three batters faced. 

• Left-handed pitcher Greg Farone comes in relief for Riley Quick. Quick finished his afternoon with five strikeouts, one walk, and zero hits. 

• Petrutz robbed of a hit to mercifully end the inning for Manhattan. Fourth inning on deck. 

• Miller hits into a double play, but Guscette scores. 9-0 Alabama with two gone in B3.

• Bryce Eblin bounces one to the first baseman, who airmails the catcher and scores Swinney. Still no outs in B3. 8-0 Alabama.

• Alabama loads the bases with nobody out in B3 and catcher Mac Guscette pays dividends with a two-RBI single. 7-0 Alabama.

• Nothing doing for the Jaspers after a leadoff walk in T3. Quick strikes one out and then Justin Lebron flashes the leather for an inning-ending double play.

• A groundout by Ian Petrutz ends the second inning, but the Crimson Tide tacks on four runs and is leading 5-0 after two. 

• TJ McCants hits an RBI single and Gage Miller scored on a wild pitch. Alabama leads 5-0. 

• Bryce Eblin reached on a fielder's choice. Gage Miller hits an RBI single on the following at-bat to up Alabama's lead 3-0. 

• Justin Lebron hits an RBI single, bringing Swinney home. Alabama leads 2-0 in the second inning. 

• Mason Swinney hits a one-out double in the bottom of the second inning. Mac Guscette follows with a base hit and there are runners on the corners.

• Two strikeouts get Riley Quick out of the inning, stranding Davis at first base. 

• Manhattan College gets its first base runner of the afternoon. DH Vincent Davis was hit by a pitch with two outs in the top of the second. 

• On the very next pitch after McCants scored, Hodo strikes out to end B1. A dropped fly ball by the right fielder is to blame for Manhattan's 1-0 deficit.

• The first run of the day is scored by TJ McCants, who hustles home with two away on a wild pitch.

• The first half-inning for Quick is in the books with a pair of strikeouts. Miller, McCants, Petrutz coming up to lead off the offense for Alabama in B1, same as yesterday.

• Associate head coach Jason Jackson's family will be throwing out today's first pitch.

• Gage Miller still leads off, but takes the DH spot instead of Camden Hayslip, who walked and struck out three times on Opening Day.

See Also:

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