A season-high five home runs and an impressive pitching performance helped Alabama baseball record its second consecutive shutout with a 14-0 win over Alabama A&M on Wednesday evening at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The victory moves UA to 15-3 on the season, including a perfect 5-0 mark in midweek matchups.
 
"It was great to see all the hard contact these past two days,” said Alabama head coach Brad Bohannon. “I’m really happy for Connor Stutts, who hasn’t gotten a lot of opportunities, to be able to get in there for two games and hit two home runs. It’s just a great message for everybody to be ready when your name is called. I’m very pleased with the way all of our guys came to the ballpark and prepared these last two games.”
 
Eight of the nine starters for UA tallied at least one hit with all 10 Alabama batters reaching base safely on one or more occasion. Alabama’s bats totaled five home runs on the night, highlighted by Hunter Alexander’s two roundtrippers. The senior finished 2-for-4 with a career-high and team-high five RBI along with two runs scored. Also delivering a home run for the Tide were juniors Chandler Taylor and Matt Malkin along with redshirt sophomore Connor Stutts.
 
Freshman Brady Greene (1-0) secured his first career win with 3.0 innings of scoreless baseball. The right-hander allowed three hits and issued two walks while striking out one Bulldog hitter. Greene combined with starter Davis Vainer, a sophomore, senior Tyler Adams and Dylan Duarte, a junior, for the shutout win.
 
The Crimson Tide struck first in Wednesday’s contest, scoring one in the third to gain a 1-0 lead. Alabama extended its lead in the fifth, putting up seven runs on seven hits, highlighted by a pair of three-run home runs. The inning began with back-to-back singles from Malkin and junior Jett Manning, placing runners on first and second for Stutts, who cleared the bases with a three-run home run over the right field wall.
 
After a pair of walks, Alexander notched a three-run home run of his own, sending a shot to left field. Junior Keith Holcombe continued the inning’s hot hitting, sending a single up the middle, before Malkin followed with another single through the left side for his second hit of the inning. In the next at-bat, junior Jett Manning capped off the scoring with an RBI single, scoring one to set the tally at 8-0 after five frames.
 
The Tide added six more in the sixth on five hits, three of which were home runs, to put the game out of reach. Alexander connected on his second home run of the evening, this time going for a two-run shot. Also contributing homers in the inning were Taylor, who notched a solo shot for his team-leading sixth of the season, and Malkin, who added a two-run homer of his own.
 
Malkin wrapped up his Wednesday with a perfect 4-for-4 performance that included two RBI and a team-leading three runs scored to go with his home run. Taylor and Stutts each homered in consecutive nights, the first duo to do so this season.
 
“I couldn’t have asked for us to be in a better place after 18 games,” Bohannon added. “I’m really happy to be 15-3, and I’m pleased with how we’re playing. It’s time for a new challenge, and we certainly have a challenge this weekend with a really good Georgia team coming to town.”
 
Alabama will now shift its focus towards Southeastern Conference play. The Crimson Tide welcomes the Georgia Bulldogs to Sewell-Thomas Stadium this weekend from March 16-18. The series opener on Friday is slated for a 6 p.m. start with Saturday’s matchup set for 1 p.m. CT. The series finale on Sunday is scheduled for a 2 p.m. first pitch on getaway day. All three games will air nationally on SEC Network with the duo of Mike Morgan and Mike Rooney on the call.

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