COLUMBIA, S.C. – The University of Alabama baseball team suffered a 6-5, extra-inning loss to seventh-ranked South Carolina on Saturday afternoon.
South Carolina held a four-run lead through six innings, but Alabama (12-11, 1-4) scored two in the seventh, one in the eighth and two in the ninth to take the lead. In the bottom of the ninth, South Carolina scored to force extra innings, and won in the 10th inning.
Crimson Tide starter Dylan Duarte tossed 5 1/3 innings, allowing four runs – two earned – on seven hits and three walks with a pair of strikeouts.
Alabama’s Chandler Taylor, Hunter Alexander and Gene Wood all had two hits. Taylor had a solo home run, his seventh of the season and second of the weekend. Connor Short doubled to extend his hitting streak to eight games.
Alabama’s comeback started in the seventh inning when Alexander singled in Cody Henry to make it 4-1. Taylor followed with a double before a sac-fly scored Alexander to make it 4-2.
Alabama scored one more in the top of the eighth on Henry’s sac fly to left to score Chandler Avant.
The Tide rallied for two runs in the ninth to take a 5-4 lead. Taylor tied it with his solo homer and Short followed with a double and advanced to third on bunt by Wood. Avant hit into a double play, but the go-ahead run scored.
South Carolina tied things up in the ninth and won it in the 10th on a bases-loaded single.
Alabama will go for the series win Sunday at 11 a.m. in the rubber game of the series.
