Richie Bonomolo Jr Dominates in his First Game at Leadoff in Alabama’s Loss Saturday

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Some lineup changes were made prior to Alabama's game 2 matchup against No. 9 Oklahoma on Saturday, with Alabama's center fielder Richie Bonomolo Jr, who normally is the Tide's ninth batter in the lineup, opening up the batting lineup for Rob Vaughn's squad, with the Center Fielder being the leadoff batter in Alabama's 6-5 loss to Oklahoma.

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Despite the loss, Bonomolo Jr. had a tremendous game, hitting a one-run homer in the bottom of the third to give the Crimson Tide their first run. The junior outfielder went 1-3 with one RBI and one home run in the Tide's game 2 victory.

Bonomolo Jr.'s highlight came in the bottom of the seventh inning when the junior Center Fielder stepped up to the bat and dropped a magnificent bunt down the left side of the infield, allowing Second Baseman Brennan Norton to advance home on an errant throw to first base. This narrowed the Sooners' advantage to one run and moved the tying run to third base, where Kade Snell scored after grounding out to second.

Alabama's lead-off batter in their game one win over Oklahoma was Designated Hitter Coleman Mizell, who did not start in Alabama's game two defeat to the Sooners, with Garret Staton filling in as designated hitter while Norton played second base. Mizell did play in Saturday's loss, but only in the bottom of the ninth inning, when he pinch hit for Norton.

During his news conference, Vaughn was asked about the thought process behind changing the lineup. Alabama's head coach went on to say that Bonomolo Jr was a "jump starter" at the 9 spot, so he and his staff were hesitant to move the Center Fielder to lead off, but Vaughn implied that he trusted Bonomolo Jr batting at the one spot where he excelled, and this allowed Bryce Fowler, who had been in a slump recently, to return to his old self today, batting 3-4 and scoring a run for the Tide.

Alabama's head coach praised the center fielder's performance leading off the order today, stating, "I thought his bats were really good all day." Vaughn added, "I thought he had some tough luck with some calls there, which is just baseball."

The Crimson Tide, who are 24-4, 5-3 in SEC play, will play game three of their three-game series against No. 9 Oklahoma on Sunday, March 30th at 1:00 p.m. in Sewell Thoms Stadium, with the winner clinching the series. After Bonomolo Jr.'s outstanding performance in the leadoff spot on Saturday, I wouldn't be surprised if he starts there again on Sunday.

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