`Aggressive base-running lifts baseball team past Gators

TUSCALOOSA | It didn’t seem likely that the University of Alabama baseball team could top its Friday night win over the Florida Gators in terms of drama and pressure.

Sunday’s game did just that.

With its postseason hopes ebbing and the travel curfew clock ticking, the Crimson Tide rallied from a five-run deficit in the final two innings to take an 8-7 victory over Florida and win the decisive game in the three-game weekend series.

Alabama scored five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to tie the game, then capitalized on aggressive baserunning in a wild bottom of the ninth inning to win before the 4:15 p.m. travel curfew ended the contest in a tie.

The winning run came in improbable fashion. The rally started with one out, when Florida reliever Clint Franklin hit Tide catcher Alex Avila with a pitch. Jeff Texada came on to pinch-run for Avila and moved to second on a bloop single by Brandon May.

The next hitter, senior Matt Bentley, drove a 1-2 pitch to the wall in right field. Gator rightfielder Riley Cooper made a spectacular catch at the wall and Texada tagged up at second base and headed to third.

But Cooper’s throw missed the intended cutoff man and rolled toward the infield, and Texada kept on running.

“It took every ounce of energy I had,” Texada said. “I didn’t see the throw. I just saw Dax [UA third-base coach Dax Norris] waving me. I was questioning why, but I kept on running.”

Texada arrived at the plate just ahead of the baseball, sliding home with the winning run.

“Their guy robbed Bentley at the wall, but Tex [Texada] did an excellent job of running. When they missed the cutoff man, I just did what Coach [Jim] Wells says to do in that situation, which is to be aggressive. With two outs and a tie game, we wanted to make them throw us out.”

“That was a great call by Dax,” Wells said.

It took a remarkable eighth-inning rally to put Alabama in a position to win. Florida jumped on Alabama starter Robert Phares for three early runs, then used home runs by Brandon McArthur and Bryson Barber in the fifth inning and a solo homer by shortstop Cole Figueroa in the seventh to build a 7-2 lead for Patrick Keating, the Florida starter.

Keating retired the first hitter in the eighth inning but after Avila walked and May – who was 4-for-5 in the game – singled, Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan had to turn to his bullpen. Reliever Tony Davis faced one hitter, with Bentley hitting into a fielder’s choice. The next reliever, Tommy Toledo, did not fare as well.

Kent Matthes put the Crimson Tide back in the game with a three-run home run to left field, cutting the Florida advantage to 7-5. Del Howell and Jake Smith delivered back-to-back singles and junior Tyler Odle followed with a game-tying two-run triple.

Austin Graham (5-1), who picked up the win with 3 2/3 innings of relief, retired the Gators in the top of the ninth inning, thanks in part to a strong throw by Avila that retired Figueroa as he tried to steal second base.

The win put both Alabama (30-23 overall) and Florida (30-20) with 14-13 records in Southeastern Conference play. The two teams are involved in a four-way tie for fourth place in the league and will be part of a complicated fight for the remaining spots in the SEC Tournament, which begins at Regions Park in Hoover on May 21.

Alabama travels to Georgia, which clinched the 2008 SEC regular season title on Sunday, for a three-game series that begins on Thursday. The Crimson Tide could still finish anywhere from second to 10th in the final SEC standings and likely needs at least one win in Athens to qualify for the SEC Tournament field.

Alabama freshman shortstop Josh Rutledge went 0-for-5 in the game, ending his hitting streak at 28 games, the third-best in UA history.

Reach Cecil Hurt at cecil.hurt@tuscaloosanews.com or 205-722-0225.