Alabama Baseball vs Auburn Game 1 of Series Recap

By: Tatumn Vaught on April 20th, 2018

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.- On Friday, April 20th at The Joe, Alabama threw out the first pitch against the Auburn Tigers at 6:00 p.m., and while watching these two rivals battle it out is always a show, the Tide struggled to finish plays and make runs on Friday night. Auburn came out on top for the first game of the series, finishing with 19-5 runs. They were ranked 25th overall in USA Today’s Coaches Poll coming into the game and have 20 NCAA appearances, as well as four College World Series advancements under their belt. The Tigers are coming off of a win from earlier this season against the Tide at the MAX Capital City Classic in March. Auburn comes to Tuscaloosa with a 26-12 overall record, 6-9 in the SEC.

The first inning seemed like the game would be up and down all night, Auburn quickly pulled ahead by smacking the first three pitches into the outfield or hard in the dirt and the Tide fought back quickly getting two outs immediately with two of the three first hits. Auburn scored their first run in the first and the ball kept rolling. While the Tide had a few 1-2-3 innings, Auburn reciprocated with similar strong pitching and hitting until the top of the fourth. As the Tigers scored a home run to right field, the Tide snagged an out when one runner tried to steal third. The bottom of the fourth had two runs from Bama, as Alexander hits one down to left field and brings a run in, bringing the score to 3-2. Auburn quickly pulled ahead after that, scoring five runs in the top of the fifth, five in the top of the sixth, and five in the seventh, and one in the top of the ninth bringing the final score to 19-5. Even with switch-ups of pitchers and a sold-out crowd, Auburn widened their lead and goes in tomorrow’s game with a head start in the series.

On the sidelines, Alabama gave away free koozies and t-shirts to fans, as well as Whataburger shared free chips and drinks to the student section. There was also a great fireworks show after the game for all the fans who attended the rivalry game.

Tomorrow, Auburn will also be here to play the Tide at 7 p.m. and will honor 1968 and 1988 teams, coached by Joe Sewell, and finished as SEC Champions, with a record of 24-14. There will also be vintage replica t-shirts given away to the first 500 fans who attend on Saturday. The game will also be available on SEC Network and 102.9 FM.

Originally Published: gameday.ua.edu