Zane Adams Propels Alabama Over Arkansas to Secure Series Win
No. 25 Alabama stuns No. 1 Arkansas 3-0 to take home the series win behind an incredible performance from freshman pitcher Zane Adams. With the win, the Crimson Tide advance to 24-12, 6-9 in the SEC, while the Razorbacks drop to 30-5 and 12-3 in the SEC.
The southpaw from Porter, Texas, threw eight innings of shutout baseball, the longest outing by an Alabama pitcher this season, with five strikeouts and only four hits to clinch a much-needed SEC series win for the Crimson Tide over top-ranked Arkansas.
"That game's pretty simple, it's this dude [Zane Adams] right here. [...] He was awesome today, really electric stuff with a ton of strikes," said Alabama baseball head coach Rob Vaughn about Adams' performance against Arkansas. "Unbelievable composure. If we're sitting there with a seven or eight-run lead, it's a little easier for him to send it the way he did. But man, he's clinging to a one-nothing lead there for a lot of innings before we can break through. Can't say enough about the way he competed"
Arkansas' Brady Tygart suffered his first loss of the season this afternoon. The junior pitched five innings, allowing one run and five hits over 87 pitches in the Hogs' loss against Alabama.
The Crimson Tide offense would rain ten hits on an elite Razorback pitching staff led by a two-hit performance from Ian Petrutz and second basemen Bryce Eblin, who blasted a two-run homer to the Right Field Ragers in the seventh to help put the Hogs away.
The Alabama offense would take some time to rev up, but started to roll in the third thanks to a Ian Petrutz single down the right side to score catcher Mac Guscette.
The Tide offense threatened to extend its lead with runners on the corners in the fourth, but Brady Tygart regrouped after an Arkansas mound visit to escape the jam.
In the seventh, Bryce Eblin would add insurance to the Crimson Tide lead with a two-run shot down the right-field line against Arkansas reliever Koty Frank, extending the Alabama advantage to three.
"Obviously, this dude [Bryce Eblin], it's good to have him back," said Rob Vaughn of Bryce Eblin, who recently returned from a ten-game absence. "What a big swing and one-run is one thing, but we're able to breathe a little bit when Brucey gives us that good swing there."
In the eighth, an Evan Sleight sac fly would add one more, while a throwing error allowed TJ McCants to score to make the Alabama lead 5-0.
Zane Adams would mow through the Hogs' lineup all afternoon, not allowing Arkansas a chance to come back.
Alton Davis II entered the game to relieve Adams in the ninth, and Adams received an extremely deserved round of applause from the Crimson Tide faithful. Davis II would strike out Wehiwa Aloy swinging to give the Crimson Tide the series win, the program's first over the No. 1 team in the nation since 2009.
Alabama will welcome UAB to Tuscaloosa Tuesday before welcoming another potential No. 1 team, the Texas A&M Aggies, who swept No. 6 Vanderbilt this weekend.
No. 25 Alabama clinches series win over No. 1 Arkansas behind 8 shutout innings from Zane Adams
Gallery Credit: Simon Besnoy