Baseball Takes Down the Trojans of Troy, 11-2

Alabama’s sophomore tandem of Taylor Guilbeau and Jay Shaw combined to allow one run in eight innings and the Crimson Tide bats exploded for 11 runs on 13 hits to take down the No. 25 Troy Trojans, 11-2, Wednesday night at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The win boosts Alabama’s record to 29-21 overall and to 7-3 versus in-state opponents, and the loss drops the Trojans to 35-13.

“It was really just a well-played game on all phases,” Alabama head coach Mitch Gaspard said. “It always starts on the mound. I thought Taylor Guilbeau gave us good first five innings against a really good offensive team. You saw some flurries there early in what they can do through the middle of their lineup. Taylor and Jay Shaw played outstanding. I think that’s eight or nine scoreless innings of ball for him (Jay Shaw) now. It was good to see Ray (Castillo) come back out and get a little confidence booster. I know they hit the long ball, but still, the velocity was really good and he threw the ball down. Defensively, we made plays. I thought Andrew (Miller) made some key plays for us in left field.”

Sophomore south paw Taylor Guilbeau (4-1) earned the win in his sixth start and 14^th appearance of the year for the Tide, allowing only one run on seven hits in five innings. The lefty’s win tonight gives him a total of four this season, moving him into a five-way tie for the team lead. Sophomore righty Jay Shaw made his 10^th appearance of the season, blanking the Trojans for three innings with only two hits allowed and a punch out. After his performance tonight, Shaw’s ERA sits at 1.62 for the season after throwing nine straight scoreless innings.

Sophomore right fielder Ben Moore turned in a 3-for-5 performance that included a double, two singles, a run scored, three runs batted in and his 16^th stolen base of the season. The sophomore from Cullman, Ala., continues to pace the Tide in stolen bases and moves into a tie for third place in the SEC.

Senior third baseman Kenny Roberts notched a 3-for-5 game with his third home run of the season, two singles, two RBI and two runs scored. Freshman second baseman Kyle Overstreet 2-for-3 with a pair of singles, two walks, and a run batted in.

“Offensively, we were really good which we’re starting to see now,” Gaspard said. “In the last couple of weeks there has been some power start to show up in guys and starting to split some gaps. Timing couldn’t be better right now to start seeing extra base-hits come down."

The Alabama Crimson Tide returns to the friendly confines of Sewell-Thomas Stadium to play out their last home series of the year versus their Southeastern Conference foe Missouri Tigers. First pitch is slated for 6:35 p.m. CT on Friday,