TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — As people across the country celebrated Fat Tuesday to cap off Mardi Gras, the bats inside Sewell-Thomas Stadium seemed to grow fat as well as Alabama baseball fell to UT Martin 7-6.
Between both the Crimson Tide and the Skyhawks, a total of six home runs were hit on the afternoon.
“Tough loss today,” Alabama head coach Brad Bohannon said after the game. “I’d like to give credit to UT Martin. They came out, swung the bats well. Obviously didn’t do a good job of getting us ready to play.”
The Skyhawks started off the scoring in the top of the third, when an RBI-double and a sac-fly gave UT Martin the game’s first two runs. In the bottom of the inning, Alabama cut the deficit to one run with a solo home run off the bat of center fielder Andrew Pinckney.
“I think it was pretty obvious early on our energy level wasn’t the same as it had been,” Bohannon said. “We got behind; I thought it kinda woke our guys up and our guys showed some good fight, but really we just didn’t play well enough to win today.”
In the bottom of the fifth, a sac-fly RBI by shortstop Jim Jarvis and an RBI-single by first baseman Drew Williamson gave the Crimson Tide’s its first lead of the day. That lead, however, did not last long.
Back-to-back home runs by the Skyhawks in the top of the sixth boosted UT Martin back on top with a 4-3 lead. Another solo home run in the top of the seventh put Alabama down by two runs heading into the seventh-inning stretch.
After Williamson was hit by the pitch to lead off the Alabama side of the seventh, third baseman Zane Denton hit a two-run home run over the corner in right field to tie the game at five runs apiece.
With neither team being able to break the tie in the eighth, the game proceeded into the ninth inning. With Hunter Furtado on the mound for the Crimson Tide, the Skyhawks blasted a two-run home run — their fourth home run of the afternoon — into the playground in left field to give UT Martin a 7-5 lead.
A sac-fly by Denton scored Jarvis in the bottom of the ninth, putting Alabama within one run. However, it was too little, too late for the Crimson Tide. The Skyhawks would not relinquish their lead in the ninth, and Alabama lost its fourth-straight game.
“Hopefully our kids can learn from this,” Bohannon said. “I’m really thankful that we get to play tomorrow and don’t have to wait.”
Matt Dickey (1-1) for UT Martin was credited with the win, while Blake Davis (2) earned the save. Furtado (1-1) was saddled with the loss on the mound for Alabama.
Tamez led the Crimson Tide in hits on the afternoon, batting 3-for-5 with a double. Denton accounted for half of Alabama’s runs, though, registering a run and three RBI while hitting 1-for-4 with a home run.
With the loss, Alabama falls to 5-4 on the season. UT Martin rises to 3-4 with the win. Up next, the Crimson Tide will take on Troy on Wednesday at 3 pm CT (SEC Network+).
Gallery: Alabama Baseball vs UT Martin
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