Crimson Tide defeats Razorbacks 4-3 in SEC Tournament

May 26, 2022

Underdog NCAA team Alabama Crimson Tide defeated No. 3 seed Arkansas Razorbacks 4-3 on Wednesday. Against all odds, Alabama might make it to the NCAA tournament after a great run on the second day of SEC.

Alabama was projected as the third out of four teams that were likely to fail to make it into the NCAA regionals. The team also had yet to claim a single victory in an SEC Tournament since 2003. That being said the Crimson Tide recorded a stellar fourth consecutive win on Wednesday.

Tied takes on Razorbacks in SEC

During a competitive Wednesday afternoon at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium, the No. 11 seed Alabama took on the higher seed team Arkansas. The game led to Alabama's victory. Prior to the win, Alabama sustained 12 heavy losses out of 14 preceding SEC games.

The Tied demonstrated a similar-fashioned win over the Razorbacks when the team played the No. 6 seed Georgia Bulldogs. Alabama came out victorious after taking an early-game lead and by limiting as many misplays as possible.

Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban said his men took plenty of advantages over the Razorbacks’ mistakes.

"I thought it was an awesome college baseball game. Fortunately, Arkansas helped us a little bit early. To our guys' credit, we took advantage of some mistakes that they made, and really the story of the game, both bullpens were just outstanding,” Saban said post-game.

“Weren't very many hits the back half of the game and was really proud of our whole team but especially those guys that pitched after Jacob McNairy gave us a good start today.”

Alabama had left fielder Tommy Seidl leading the team in the top of the second inning. Shortstop Jim Jarvis was unfortunately out, while the Razorbacks could not afford a perfect play after allowing a ball to slip out of the glove of their first baseman. This resulted in Arkansas trailing two points behind Alabama.

The Crimson Tide fouled in the third via first baseman Drew Williamson but would later pick up their rhythm as center fielder Caden Rose registered a successful safe slide across the plate. Rose’s run marked the second time the franchise hit off a flyout to the third baseman, which many considered as rare.

"I mean, they're a great team," Williamson said about Arkansas. "Their staff is really talented. I guess just experience, just getting to see it over and over. You get to see it 100 times, it's going to be better than if you've never seen it. Just getting to play them back to back, I guess, did help tonight."

The game continued to the last leg of the race with the Crimson Tide triumphing over the Razorbacks. Arkansas tried to clinch up a win via a few of the team’s notable labor throughout the innings, one of which was when they recorded two home runs in the sixth off to the left-center. Sadly, their hard labor was not paid off.

Alabama had Canadian Antoine Jean to thank for. Jean redeemed his slump in the fourth by retiring the contending team’s batters much later in the bottom of the eight. The Canadian star made his first successful batter in the ninth until Dylan Ray replaced him on the mound. Jean was 5-1 after shortly returning from a series of injuries this season, while Ray was credited for eight picked-up saves.

"It felt really good," Jean said. "I was waiting to hear my name, and once they told me to go, it was time to go. The stadium got loud, I knew it was a big situation. Usually, that's what brings my game up. I hope it does, I think it does.”

Jake
Jake Williams
Jake Williams is a sports gambling expert. He's been writing in the sports betting and DFS industry for over a decade. He specializes in MLB and NBA, along with College Basketball and College Football.