Alabama Baseball sends a strong message by securing a series victory against Tennessee.

Rob Vaughn was assigned to face the fifth-ranked Tennessee Volunteers in the opening series of the SEC, even though the Alabama baseball team was having an incredible start to the season. The Alabama baseball team moved up in the national rankings after losing to Southern Mississippi in their opening game of the week then splitting the series with Tennessee. The Tide are beginning to attract national attention and have the potential to emerge as this year’s surprise team in collegiate baseball.

With ace Ben Hess starting on the mound, Alabama Baseball’s inaugural game proved disastrous for the squad, as they lost 11-3. The only memorable moment from the first game was when TJ McCants and Ian Petrutz hit back-to-back home runs. McCants’ home run traveled 452 feet, while Petrutz’s home run traveled 412 feet.

Greg Farone of Alabama squared up against Drew Beam, the Vols’ anticipated first-round selection, in the second game. Ian Petrutz’s ground ball that scored Gage Miller gave the Tide an early lead in the first inning. In the second, Bryce Eblin would add two more runs to the board with an RBI triple that also scored Eblin because of a misdirected throw. Justin Lebron and Mac Guscette both delivered clutch hits in the third inning, helping the Tide increase their advantage to 6-0. From the fourth through the eighth innings, Beam would keep the Tide at six runs.

By the eighth inning, the Vols had cut the lead in half, forcing the Tide to use closer Alton Davis II, who recorded a two-inning save. With Davis holding the Vols in check, the Tide would win their first SEC game under Rob Vaughn’s leadership. Farone pitched 5.1 innings, giving up just five hits and one run while striking out four, and he was excellent against a potent Volunteer offense.

Particularly toward the end of the game, game three was among the most exciting baseball contests you have ever witnessed. In the second inning, Ian Petrutz’s RBI single that drove in Gage Miller gave the Tide an early lead once more. In the third inning, the Vols would grab a 4-1 lead, which the Tide quickly overturned to 4-3 as the offense kept finding timely singles. Braylon Myers entered the game at 4-3 and pitched three shutout innings, keeping the Volunteers in check. Before the Vols regained their advantage in the seventh inning, Will Hodo tied the score with a single home run in the fourth.

The drama would begin in the bottom of the eighth when Justin Lebron singled with one out to put the winning runner on base after Mac Guscette had been hit by a pitch. Though Vols outfielder Dylan Dreiling made a catch that will likely be the early front-runner for play of the year, Bryce Eblin appeared to hit an extra-base hit that would have easily scored the runner from second. Gage Miller hit a bomb that landed on Second Avenue with two on and two outs in the eighth, giving the Tide a 7–5 lead.

But because of his two-inning save the previous evening, Alton Davis II was not available for the Tide to finish the game. Due to a misunderstanding in foul area, the team gave up what should have been the first out, but Tennessee quickly turned it into a single on the following pitch. After that, with one out, the Tide failed to get a second out, which allowed the leadoff runner to reach base and put two Vols on base. Rob Vaughn would turn to Aidan Moza as the Vols loaded the bases. He would strike out the opening hitter, then walk in a run to tie the game at six runs, with the tying run only ninety feet away. With three consecutive vicious breaking balls, Moza would put an end to the Vols’ comeback rally and give the Tide the series victory.

TJ McCants, who is batting.369 with seven home runs and 24 RBIs, is having one of the finest starts in college baseball. He is hitting in every game. With a team-high.443 average, nine home runs, and 27 RBIs, Gage Miller has been the team’s mainstay of power.

With a 3-0 record and 1.71 ERA, starting pitcher Greg Farone is rapidly becoming into an ace with Ben Hess. Alton Davis II, who has three saves and a 1.74 ERA, is still Mr. Reliable in the bullpen.

Tuesday’s games for the Tide are against Alabama State in Montgomery and the Georgia Bulldogs in Athens.