Despite spotting the Crimson Tide eight runs and producing just one hit through five innings, Tennessee head coach Dave Serrano opted for the positive, honing in on the ending rather than the start.
However, the Volunteer late-inning rally ultimately proved unsuccessful as Alabama emerged with an 8-5 series-opening victory Friday evening at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
“A Friday night loss continues to sting, but I’m proud of our team,” Serrano said. “That might confuse some people, but gosh darn it we’re going up against a pretty good Friday guy. We’re down 8-0, and we could’ve easily folded the tents, but our guys had different thoughts in mind.”
Nevertheless, the loss — UT’s third in four games — drops the Vols (24-11, 6-10 SEC) to 13th place overall in the conference — meaning if the SEC Tournament started today, Serrano’s squad would not be making the trek south to Hoover, Ala.
Trailing 8-0 heading into the sixth, the UT lumber was nonexistent, falling victim to Alabama starter Spencer Turnbull (5-2) in convincing fashion.
The Vols hadn’t had a base knock since Will Maddox’s single in the third and had put only one runner past second base the entire evening.
That’s when the junior leadoff man awoke yet again.
Maddox just missed the right field scoreboard with his fourth home run of the season—a play that appeared to rejuvenate the UT offense for just a moment.
One inning later, the Vols pushed across three runs, receiving an RBI double from right fielder Vincent Jackson and run-scoring singles from sophomores A.J. Simcox and Christin Stewart.
The scoring spurt trimmed the Tide’s advantage to 8-4 and knocked Turnbull out of the game, who gave up only three hits and four runs with eight strikeouts in 6 1/3 frames.
“We didn’t come out ready to play I felt like,” Maddox said. “But we got down, and we continued to battle.”
In the eighth, Scott Price led off with a double down the right field line, raced to third on a fielder’s choice and later scored on Derek Lance’s pinch hit sacrifice fly, trimming the Tide advantage to 8-5.
With two walks sandwiched in between, UT had the potential tying run at bat in both Lance and then Maddox, but the Vols’ second baseman struck out to end the eighth.
“The momentum and the confidence we built when we were down 8-0,” Serrano said, “to be one swing away in the (eighth) inning from tying the game has to carry over for our guys when things didn’t start out that well.”
Although the Tide (27-11, 11-5) delivered the heavy damage early, Williams nearly avoided almost all of it.
In the third — despite having the first four baserunners of the inning reach safely — the senior righty was only one out away from escaping a massive, bases-loaded jam with just a single run surrendered.
Then came the call.
After inducing a force out at home and a shallow fly out to right, Williams was tagged with a balk by home plate umpire Mark Chapman in an attempted fake-to-third, throw-to-first pickoff move. Chapman ruled that Williams had made an effort towards home plate, which prompted an immediate argument from Serrano and adamant frustration from his senior starter.
“I’ve done that move every single time and never gotten called a balk,” Williams said, “so I don’t really know what happened.”
The balk scored Crimson Tide right fielder Ben Moore, and with left fielder Casey Hugston still hitting, the Alabama freshman blooped a two-run single into left.
“It was a judgment call,” Serrano said. “He made the call like he saw it.”
Suddenly — what had been an out away from just a one-run deficit, swiftly turned into a 4-0 advantage for the visiting Tide.
And there was still more to follow.
Alabama added a single run in the fourth and three more in the fifth—the final blow deleivered via a long solo homer to right off the bat of catcher Will Haynie.
The blast proved to be the final act for Williams, who allowed 10 hits, eight runs and two walks while striking out six in 4 2/3 innings of work.
“They just put the ball where our players weren’t,” Williams said. “They squared a couple up, but other than that, they didn’t have any solid contact swings that were base hits.
“But I needed to minimize (damage) and get out of that inning, but they ended up scoring four (in the third).”
From there, UT reliever Peter Lenstrohm halted the Alabama offense, allowing just a pair of baserunners — a hit by pitch and an error — in 4 1/3 innings of no-hit, scoreless baseball.
“He saved our bullpen for the rest of the series,” Williams said. “That was huge. Him coming in, dealing like he was — just holding them at bay and letting our offense get us back into it.”
UT returns to action on Saturday as Game Two of the series is slated for 4 p.m. Serrano will send freshmen Hunter Martin (2-2, 2.91) to hill, looking to build off UT’s success in the latter stages of Friday’s contest.
“I’m firm believer,” Serrano said, “that in those types of games …when you let the other team back in, it carries over to the next couple of days.
“And that’s what I’m hoping for.”
