COLUMBIA, Mo. – Alabama baseball completed the sweep of Missouri with a 3-2 win on Sunday afternoon at Taylor Stadium. The Crimson Tide has now won five straight SEC games and is 9-9 in conference play, part of a 29-12 record overall.
Runs were hard to come by in the series finale, with both pitchers posting zeros until the sixth. That inning saw the Tide strike first thanks to a Tommy Seidl solo homer that broke up Missouri’s no-hit bid. The Tigers came right back in the home half, using a wild pitch to score a man from third and even things up. Alabama countered with a solo homer from Andrew Pinckney and a two-out single from Mac Guscette to make it a 3-1 ballgame headed to the stretch. Missouri battled for one in the seventh, but Alton Davis II was able to limit the damage and keep it at 3-2 ballgame, the eventual final.
Alabama starter Jacob McNairy was countered by Missouri starter Logan Lunceford (3-3) in the pitchers’ duel. McNairy tossed 5.2 innings of one-run baseball with three hits, two walks and a season-high tying six punchouts. Lunceford suffered the loss, allowing just two earned runs on two hits and four walks with seven strikeouts in 6.1 innings of work. Davis II picked up his fifth save of the season and second of the weekend with 3.0 scoreless frames. The freshman allowed one hit while striking out three to close out the sweep. Kade Woods (3-1) got the win.
From Head Coach Brad Bohannon
“First, their starter was outstanding. (Logan Lunceford) did a great job of throwing three pitches for a strike and had a swing-and-miss changeup. You run into some buzzsaws at times in this league, and I tell our guys ‘our starter’s got to match them and keep it close’ because sometimes you have to win it late – and that’s exactly what we did today. Jacob McNairy was outstanding, gave us an awesome start, and then we hit the home runs in the sixth and seventh to do enough to win the ballgame.”
How It Happened
- T6 | Tommy Seidl broke up the no-hitter with a solo home run to left. (1-0, Alabama)
- B6 | With a man at third and two down, a wild pitch allowed the tying run to cross for Mizzou. (1-1)
- T7 | Andrew Pinckney homered with one down. Caden Rose followed with a double before a two-out single from Mac Guscette crossed Rose to add one more. (3-1, Alabama)
- B7 | The Tigers singled to start the inning with an error and a passed ball moving the leadoff man to third. A sacrifice fly then brought in the runner from third (3-2, Alabama)
Postgame Notes
- Jacob McNairy tossed a season-high 5.2 innings and 86 pitches. His previous high for innings was 5.0 against UAB on March 21 while his season-high pitch count was 78 in game two of the doubleheader with Columbia on March 11.
- McNairy’s six strikeouts tied his season-best total. He also had six punchouts against Middle Tennessee on March 28 in Huntsville.
- Alabama has hit a home run in 32 of 41 games this season and has produced multiple homers 22 times. Included in those 22 games are all three contests this weekend at Missouri.
- Andrew Pinckney has homered in four straight games. That is the longest stretch with a home run for his career and ties him with Colby Shelton (March 3-7) for the Tide’s season-long streak.
- Pinckney reached base in today’s game and has now done so in 22 straight contests.
- Tommy Seidl has gotten aboard in 16 straight games dating back to March 28.
The Crimson Tide will return home to Sewell-Thomas Stadium for a midweek with Samford on Tuesday, April 25. First pitch of the in-state matchup is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT with the game airing on SEC Network+.
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