Staff Report
(March 9, 2010)

After falling behind in the seventh inning, Chris Thomas hit a bases-loaded double in the bottom of the inning to cap a four-run rally as LAMP defeated Robert E. Lee, 7-6, at Paterson Field.

The Generals (7-5) fought back from a 3-0 deficit, taking the lead in the seventh inning, which began on a Bernard Davis solo home run off LAMP starter Chris Dunn.

The Tigers rallied back for a pair of runs with two outs on Timothy Simpkins’ double to make it 6-5 before Thomas delivered his game-winning hit.

Martin Bryant picked up the win, pitching the seventh in relief. Dunn pitched six-plus innings, giving up three runs. He struck out four and walked two.

Coston Allen started for Lee and pitched 6 1/3 innings.

LAMP (8-6) opens Class 3A, Area 5 play at Montgomery Academy on Friday in the first of a three-game series. Lee plays Thursday at Greenville.

ACA soccer wins eighth straight

Alabama Christian Academy soccer won its eighth game of the season with a 8-0 shutout of Holtville High School Monday night.

Alex Stroud scored four goals, Costa Whitehead had two goals and Colt Churchwell had a goal for the Eagles.

Holtville also accounted for one goal for ACA. Goal Keeper Evan Turner preserved the shutout.

ACA travels to cross town rival St. James Tuesday night. Holtville plays at Montgomery Academy on Thursday.

Edgewood softball handles Fort Dale

GREENVILLE – Mallory Garmon and Krystin had two hits and two RBIs each in Edgewood Academy’s 9-3 victory over Fort Dale Academy on Monday.

Pitchers Dawne West and Kaetlen Brown combined for the win for Edgewood (8-2).

Chandler Thornton and Brown also had two hits each for the Lady Wildcats, who play Crenshaw Christian on Tuesday.

Alabama’s Tony Mitchell was named the SEC Freshman of the Week on Monday. (Photo courtesy Unv. Alabama Athletic Dept.)

Contributed
(March 8, 2010)

Ole Miss’ Chris Warren was named SEC Player of the Week after he averaged 26.5 points and 3.0 assists in wins over LSU and at Arkansas.

The Rebels’ point guard finished one shy of his career high with 31 points in a 68-66 comeback win at Arkansas. He scored 20 points in the second half and helped Ole Miss erase an 11-point deficit with just over five minutes remaining, nailing a huge 3-pointer with 53 seconds left to give the Rebels their first lead of the contest. He scored a game-high 22 points on 7-of-10 shooting (5-of-7 3s) with five assists in a 72-59 win over LSU.

Alabama’s Tony Mitchell was named SEC Freshman of the Week after averaging 14.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in wins at South Carolina and over Auburn.

Mitchell recorded his second double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds at South Carolina. Eleven of his 13 points against USC were scored in the second half. Mitchell lead the Crimson Tide with 16 points in a win over intrastate rival Auburn.

Contributed
(March 8, 2010)

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – The Troy Trojans knocked the second round monkey off their backs, picking up a 67-55 victory over South Alabama on Sunday night in the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt tournament.

The victory came over the same USA squad that eliminated the Trojans in a similar scenario a season ago. That Troy squad was the third seed in the tournament – this year’s team is the top seed.

“Obviously, we are happy to win the first game, coming in after last year losing the first one,” head coach Don Maestri said. “This is a good feeling knowing that you get to stay another night and play tomorrow. 

“I don’t think we shot the ball really well, but we were able to get spurts to get the lead and maintain it most of the game.  We kept a little bit of pressure on them to get back into the basketball game.”

The Trojans (34.5 percent) actually shot a lower percentage from the field than did the Jaguars (35.8 percent), but sank three more 3-pointers and seven more free throws to aid their cause.

The victory moved Troy into the semifinals of the league tournament for the first time in school history. The Trojans had been 0-3 in three previous quarterfinal appearances.

Both teams started slowly over the first five minutes and with 14:09 left in the first half Troy held an 11-6 lead. The Trojans widened their lead to 26-15 on three-point play by Antywan Jones.

Jones finished his night with five points and a career-high 13 rebounds. It was just the third double-digit rebound game of Jones’ career. He helped the Trojans to a 45-35 advantage on the glass and helped his team limit the Jaguars to only 10 offensive boards.

The Trojans widened the lead all the way to 20 at 35-15 with just more than two minutes left. The 15-0 run – Troy’s first of the season – was highlighted by a Hazzard layup with 2:20 remaining.

A portion of that long run included a 12-0 spurt with Michael Vogler on the bench with two fouls. The Lynn Haven, Fla.-native struggled with foul trouble all game and finished with just five points and five assists.

“I was surprised we got the lead, but it wasn’t because we were playing well,” Maestri said. “We played well in spurts and if you look at the stats they tell you that.”

The Jaguars followed Troy’s burst with a 6-0 run to close to within 14, but Delk answered for Troy with a 3-pointer as time expired in the first half to leave his Trojans with a 17-point lead at the break, 38-21. Hazzard and Delk both scored 10 for Troy in the opening period.

The 21 points allowed by Troy in the first half was the lowest first half total by a Trojans opponent this season.

South Alabama opened the second half with four straight points, but Delk halted the run with a trey from the top of the key. A pair of free throws by Hazzard made it 45-30 with 16 minutes to go.

The Jags continued their strong second half play and a two by Martino Brock pared Troy’s lead to its lowest since 6:07 mark of the first half at 11 points. Two by Javier Carter dropped the Jaguars’ deficit into single digits with 11 minutes remaining, 50-41.

Tim Williams put in a two and Allyn Cooks tacked on a free throw leaving Troy on top by eight with 6:31 left in the contest. Levan Patsatsia got a tap in to go for a 58-46 lead with less than four to go.

Vogler, Delk, Hazzard and Vernon Taylor combined to sink 9-of-12 free throws in the final two minutes to put away the Jaguars.

Delk led Troy with 17 points and Hazzard added 16. Taylor was the only other double-figure Trojans with 11. Cooks paced USA with 13.

The win advances Troy to face Western Kentucky on Monday night. Tip-off is set for 6 pm in Summit Arena. The game will be televised as part of the Sun Belt TV package and locally on CSS.

Contributed
(March 8, 2010)

The pairings have been set for the 2010 Farmers Insurance SWAC Basketball Tournament that will be played March 10-13 at CenturyTel Center in Shreveport/Bossier City La.

Both the women’s and men’s finals will be televised live Saturday, beginning at 5 p.m. on ESPNU. Every game of the tournament will be broadcast live on the Heritage Sports Radio Network (HSRN).

The Lady Hornets will be the seventh seed and face second-seeded Prairie View A&M Wednesday at Noon, while the No. 3 seed Hornets face No. 6 Alabama A&M Thursday at 2:30 p.m.

WOMEN’S MATCHUPS

The top-seeded Jaguars, who finished two full games ahead of the pack, will take on eighth-seeded Arkansas-Pine Bluff (7-11 SWAC) on Wednesday. Southern swept the season series (60-53 at UAPB Jan. 16, 67-50 at SU Feb. 13.

The two-time defending champion Prairie View A&M Lady Panthers completed the regular season with a 12-6 SWAC record and will clash with seventh-seed Alabama State. At 8-10 in the SWAC, Alabama State finished tied with Alcorn State but lost the tie-breaker between the two teams this season. Prairie View swept the season series with the Lady Hornets (69-50 at ASU Feb. 1, 77-71 at PV Mar. 1).

MEN’S MATCHUPS

Jackson State will face Grambling State in the final game Wednesday night. JSU is 19-1 since starting the season 0-10. Jackson State has won 13 straight games and will face a Grambling team it swept this season (75-59 at home on Jan. 23, 84-79 in OT on the road on Feb. 20).

Alabama State and Alabama A&M play in the opening round of the tournament for the second consecutive year, this time as the 3-6 matchup. The Hornets again swept the season series (83-69 at home Jan. 16, 80-76 on the road Feb. 13.)

Texas rivals Prairie View A&M and Texas Southern will also meet for the third time this season. The Panthers swept the season series, winning both games by five points (65-60 Jan. 16 at TSU, 63-58 at home Feb. 6.)

Wednesday, March 10
Noon: Women-#2 Prairie View A&M vs. #7 Alabama St.
2:30 p.m.: Men-#2 Univ. Arkansas-Pine Bluff vs. #7 Miss. Valley
5:30 p.m.: Women - #1 Southern vs. #8 Univ. Ark.-Pine Bluff
8 p.m.: Men- #1 Jackson St. vs. #8 Grambling St.

Thursday, March 11
Noon: Women -#3 Alabama A&M vs. #6 Alcorn St.
2:30 p.m.:Men - #3 Alabama St. vs. #6 Alabama A&M
5:30 p.m.: Women-#4 Grambling St. vs. #5 Texas Southern
8 p.m.: Men-#4 Prairie View A&M vs. #5 Texas Southern

Combined Reports
(March 7, 2010)

SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament Schedule

At the Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tenn.

March 11-14 (All times CDT)

First round pairings
Thursday, March 11 (Games televised on SEC Network)

12 p.m. – South Carolina (E5) vs Alabama (W4)

2:15 p.m. – LSU (W6) vs. Tennessee (E3)

6:30 p.m. – Auburn (W5) vs. Florida (E4)

8:45 p.m. – Georgia (E6) vs. Arkansas (W3)

Quarterfinal pairings
Friday, March 12 (SEC Network)

12 p.m. - SC/Alabama winner vs. Kentucky (E1)

2:15 p.m. – LSU/Tennessee winner vs. Ole Miss (W2)

6:30 p.m. – Auburn/Florida winner vs. Mississippi State (W1)

8:45 p.m. – Georgia/Arkansas winner vs. Vanderbilt (E2)

Semifinals
Saturday, March 13 (ABC)

12 p.m. – Friday’s first/second game winners

2:15 p.m. – Friday’s third/fourth game winners

Final (ABC)

Sunday, March 14, 12 p.m.

Brew Tech starter Ben Taylor pitched six strong innings in a win over LAMP on Saturday. (Staff Photo)

Staff Report
(March 7, 2010)

Brewbaker Tech finished the FCA Jason Armstrong Memorial Baseball Classic with a perfect record, completing the tournament with a sweep of LAMP and Marbury on Saturday at Paterson Field.

“It was an honor and a privilege to play in the tournament,” Brew Tech coach John Gluschick said. “Just to get that many games in before area lay is impressive.”

The Rams (9-1) beat LAMP for the second time in as many chances, winning 10-6. Ben Taylor (1-1) was the winning pitcher for the Rams.  He pitched six innings while striking out seven. 

Brandon Johnson pitched the seventh inning earning his first save.  Nick Wicher led Brew Tech offensively going 3-for-4 with an RBI and scoring twice.  Jimmy Johnson also contributed for the Rams going 2-for-3 with three RBIs. 

LAMP was led at the plate by Bryan Young, who collected three hits and Timothy Simpkins who had two.

The Rams followed with a 6-2 win over Marbury.  Paul Harris (1-0) picked up the win on the mound for the Rams, pitching six innings, striking out two while allowing only four hits. 

Joel Hicks pitched the seventh inning to earn his first save.  The Rams were led offensively by Madison Freeman, Paul Harris, and Cody Robinson who each collected two hits. 

Marbury was led at the plate by Matthew Hand who had two hits. 

Brew Tech plays Trinity at Ray Thorington on Tuesday at 4 p.m.

St. James splits games with Jeff Davis, LAMP

Luke Strane allowed four hits and struck out five over five innings for the Trojans in a 6-3 win over Jeff Davis in a game played a Paterson Field.

Taylor Poe and Joe Goodson each had two hits.

In the second game, the Golden Tigers rallied from a five-run deficit to defeat St. James, 8-6, Saturday also at Paterson Field.

Harry Norman pitched six innings in relief for the victory.

Timothy Simpkins and Lucas Tribble each had three hits. Tribble had to go-ahead single in the fifth inning.

Goodson had three hits and John Slayton two for St. James.

The Tigers (7-6) face Robert E. Lee on Monday at Paterson Field while St. James will open Class 4A, Area 2 play against Opp on Friday.

Elmore County tops MA

Landis Meredith had three hits and reached four times in the Elmore County Panthers’ 12-8 win over Montgomery Academy on Saturday in a game played at Bowman Field at MA.

Meredith had four runs driven in and also reached via a hit-by-pitch. He also pitched the final inning for ECHS (2-8).

Brandon Smirnoff added a three-run homer as part of a six-run second inning that gave the Panthers an 8-0 lead. Cale Bullock was the winning pitcher. Jason Henderson and Zac Jones each had two hits. Will Davis had a three-run homer for MA.

Combined Reports
(March 7, 2010)

It took much longer than anyone thought it might, but Troy University baseball coach Bobby Pierce picked up his 250th victory as the Trojans mentor on Saturday night as Troy ended a five-game losing skid with an 18-2 win over Bethune-Cookman.

The two teams will play the rubber game of their weekend series on Sunday, with the first pitch slated for 1 p.m. at Riddle-Pace Field.

For the Trojans (4-5), the game was never really in doubt after plating six runs in the first two innings against BCU starting pitcher Rayan Gonzalez (1-2). But, it was after scoring those early runs that Troy’s bats went back into the deep freeze for the next four innings.

“We were able to score a lot of runs tonight, and that is something we have been looking for,” Pierce said. “But we also didn’t do enough with the chances we had early in the game. They threw some young guys out there late and we were able to do some things against them, but we have to do a better job in those situations at all points in the game.”

Troy finally broke the game open in the seventh inning, scoring five times against the Bethune-Cookman (4-8) bullpen. The Trojans padded their advantage even more in the eighth, scoring seven more runs.

The six early runs were more than enough for Troy freshman left-hander Shane McCain (2-1), who allowed just two runs on four hits through 5.1 innings of work. He walked two and struck out six.

Were it not for ending the losing skid and Pierce’s milestone win, the story of the game very likely might have been the pitching debut for Troy of senior Bart Pettus.

A shortstop by trade, Pettus has been hampered by a knee injury he suffered last year. With his mobility compromised, he has been working on making a return to the mound, where he was a standout in high school.

“Bart was a top quality pitcher in high school, and he has been wanting to do anything he can to help this team in his last year,” Pierce said. “With his bad knee, he can’t play shortstop, so we wanted to give him a look on the mound.”

If Saturday’s performance is any indication, the experiment is a success. Pettus came into a 6-1 game with a pair of runners on base. He surrendered a ground ball single to score a run on his first pitch. He retired the next four batters he faced before a two out error put a runner on base. He responded with a strikeout, his third, to end the seventh inning.

Jordan Mathers and Thomas Austin both also made their season debuts on the mound, both pitching scoreless innings to close out the Troy win.

Southern Poly sweeps AUM

Southern Polytechnic State University completed a weekend sweep of the Auburn University at Montgomery Senators with 7-0 and 9-1 wins at the AUM Baseball Complex.

Blake Mainor (5-0) and D.J. Nordquist combined for a four-hit shutout in game one, allowing the Senators only four singles in the contest.

Gary Owens hit his second homerun of the series in game one and added two RBI.  Joe Wilson had three hits and an RBI while Mason Heller and Brandon Chastain added two hits each in the 11-hit attack.

AUM’s only hits came from Todd Cherry, Brooks Glover, Micahel Dugan and Sam Judah.

Robby Davis (2-2) was the starter and loser for AUM.  He pitched five and a third giving up seven hits and five runs with two strikeouts.

Game two saw SPSU jump out to a 9-0 lead after three innings.  The fourth-ranked team in the nation scored four runs in the first, three in the second and two more in the third, before AUM’s pitchers settled down.

Heller and Owens completed big weekends at the plate with two hits and two RBI in game two.  Jake Barrow had two hits and scored two runs while Josh Grooms had two doubles, driving in one.

Greg Hendrix (2-1) was the winner, pitching four and a third only allowing three hits.  Tucker Stone finished the game allowing three hits and the one run.

Jacob Salter had two hits in the game for AUM and the Senators avoided the shutout on a two-out single from Cody Chizmar in the bottom of the seventh scoring Derek Webster.

Brent Ambrun (1-1) only lasted a third of an inning in picking up the loss.  He allowed two hits and gave up a walk while allowing SPSU to score four runs.

The Senators are now 9-11 overall and 2-4 in conference action.  SPSU pushes its record to 21-1 overall and 3-0 in the conference.  AUM will be back in action Tuesday, March 9th, when they travel to Columbus State University.  The game is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m.

Tide shuts out CofC

MT. PLEASANT, S.C.  – The Alabama baseball team got a strong pitching performance from a trio of right-handers and the Tide manufactured enough offense for a 4-0 win over the College of Charleston on a sunny afternoon at Patriots Point Stadium.

Junior right-hander Jimmy Nelson fired six shutout innings with a career high 11 strikeouts, while the bullpen tandem of sophomore right-hander Tyler White and junior right-hander Brett Whitaker blanked the Cougars over the final three innings, giving the Tide its first shutout since a 12-0 win over Alabama A&M on March 18, 2009.

Tigers handle Miami, Ohio

AUBURN. - The Auburn bats pounced on the Miami (Ohio) pitching from the get-go, scoring seven runs on nine hits over the first three innings and rode the arms of Grant Dayton and Stephen Kohlscheen to a series-clinching 13-5 win on Saturday afternoon at Plainsman Park. The win extended Auburn’s winning streak to five games and moved Auburn’s record to 8-2 on the year.

"The tone was set real early by Grant Dayton. Grant went out there and retired the first 10 hitters of the game and when you can do that and play solid defense, it’s a real good formula to getting off to a good start," Auburn Head Coach John Pawlowski said.

Dayton, who had not earned a win since March 13, 2009 at Tennessee, found his groove with the first hitter of the game and cruised for the first three-plus innings, retiring the first 10 hitters he faced, six on strike outs. His shutout was spoiled with a fourth-inning RBI single but the junior lefty didn’t let it faze him as he rolled through 5 2/3 innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits and two walks while striking out seven, his most strike outs in his last six outings.

"My arm felt great today and I was able to utilize my fastball better and hit my spots," Dayton said. "Pitching with a lead is a whole lot easier to do than pitching from behind."

Hunter Morris had a powerful day at the plate, smacking four hits in five at bats, including his first home run of the season, a two-run laser off the batter’s eye in center with one out in the sixth. The four hits were the most for Morris in a game this season and marked the second time in his career he has had a four-hit game. Coupled with a pair of doubles, Morris drove in two and scored three from his three-hole position.

Contributed
(March 7, 2010)

Jackson State spoiled Alabama State’s “Senior Night” and a determined second half rally in escaping with a 60-59 victory Saturday night at Dunn-Oliver Acadome.

ASU (15-14, 12-6 SWAC) saw its season-best win streak halted at six after suffering its second one-point loss of the season to Jackson State (19-11, 17-1 SWAC).

The win was the 13th in a row for the Tigers, who won the SWAC regular season title and earned the top seed at the upcoming conference tournament. Bama State will be the No. 3 seed.

Senior Tramayne Moorer scored 19 points to lead the Hornets in his final home game while also collecting five rebounds. Menji Mundadi finished with all of his 14 points in the second half followed by 10 from Tramaine Butler.

Garrison Johnson was Jackson State’s top performer finishing with 20 points while De’Suan Dixon chipped in 14 for the Tigers.

“This was a tough loss especially for our seniors,” said ASU head coach Lewis Jackson, who moved to 4-9 all-time against Jackson State. “We dug ourselves a pretty big hole in the first half, but I was really proud of the way our guys battled back in the second half. We gave ourselves a chance to win the game and that is really all you can ask for after such a rough start. I thought we had good effort and this is just another building step for us as we head into the tournament.”

The two squads traded the lead several times in the early going before Jackson State used a 10-0 run to grab a 15-6 advantage with 10:46 left in the first half. ASU answered with six quick points to pull closer, but the Tigers then ran off 12 straight points on the strength of a determined defensive effort building a 15-point lead, 27-12, at the 8:30 mark.

The game was evenly played for much of the remainder of the half until a final six-point surge by JSU capped with a three-pointer by Tyrone Hanson in the closing seconds. The trey gave the Tigers their largest lead of the game, 37-19, heading into the halftime break.

The Hornets struggled offensively in the opening period making just 5-of-17 field goal attempts (29.4 percent) while JSU connected at a 50 percent pace hitting 11-of-22. The Tigers also forced six first half turnovers while committing just one of their own.

A renewed ASU defense greeted the visiting Tigers at the start of the second half as Bama State quickly trimmed the deficit to just eight, 37-29, scoring 10 straight points. Johnson ended the JSU drought with a three at the 14:38 mark.

From that point, the game settled into a back-and-forth battle expected from two of the SWAC’s top squads. Jackson State would extend the lead only to see Bama State fight back and cut into the margin.

Despite their best efforts, the Hornets were unable to trim their deficit to single digits until Moorer keyed a late 13-2 run that made the score 59-57 with 25 seconds left. The senior scored seven points during the ASU comeback that also included a thunderous putback dunk from Butler.

Johnson made one of two free throw attempts with 20 seconds remaining giving the Tigers a three-point lead. However, on the Hornets next possession Moorer converted a quick layup to make the score, 60-59, with 11 ticks left on the clock. A missed free throw by Hanson set up a furious scramble at the end of the game.

ASU collected the rebounds and rushed the ball up the court getting it to Chris Duncan for the apparent go ahead lay-up, but Hanson was able to recover to block the attempt sending the ball rolling out of bounds and giving ASU a final chance with 1.6 showing on the clock.

Mundadi’s game-winning attempt at the buzzer caromed off the front of the rim allowing the Tigers to survive with the win.

With the regular season concluded, Alabama State now turns its focus toward postseason play in the 2010 Farmers Insurance SWAC Basketball Tournament at the Century Tel Center in Shreveport, La. The No. 3 seeded Hornets open tournament action against No. 6 seed Alabama A&M Thursday at 2:30 p.m. ASU swept the regular season series against the Bulldogs.

Mikhail Torrance tips in for two of his 13 points in the Crimson Tide’s win over Auburn on Saturday. (Photo courtesy Unv. Alabama Athletic Dept.)

Combined Reports
(March 7, 2010)

TUSCALOOSA - On Senior Day before a sold-out crowd at Coleman Coliseum, senior guard Mikhail Torrance notched his second career double-double with 13 points and a career-high 12 rebounds to lead the Alabama men’s basketball team to a 73-61 victory over in-state rival Auburn, snapping a four-game losing streak to the Tigers.

"To be honest with you I really was unaware of any streak," UA head coach Anthony Grant said. "My approach is game-to-game. Obviously this was a big win in our state."

With the victory, Alabama improves to 16-14 (6-10 SEC) to clinch their 10th consecutive winning season, while Auburn falls to 15-16 (6-10 SEC) as the teams split the season-series.

"I thought our defense was outstanding today and it was a great win for our team," Grant said.

Prior to tipoff, head coach Anthony Grant and the capacity crowd honored this year’s three Tide seniors, Anthony Brock, Torrance and Greg Cage. All three seniors scored, led by Torrance’s 13 points. Brock and Cage scored nine and four points, respectively.

Freshman forward Tony Mitchell and junior forward Chris Hines joined Torrance in double-figures. Mitchell poured in a team-high 16 points, while Hines dropped in 13 for the Tide.

The Crimson Tide held the early advantage through the first 12 minutes, though Auburn knocked down a pair of threes to open the game, 6-0. Alabama answered with a 14-4 scoring run over the next 7:05 to take a four-point lead at the 11:50 mark in the first.

"We never got anything going offensively," said Auburn head coach Jeff Lebo. "My fears came true right away as Knox had two fouls, three fouls and four fouls quickly. We need to have him. It is hard to explain how one game he can look so good and the next one not. I know he was frustrated with that. He just doesn’t do a good job playing with fouls. We got hurt inside. I though (Tony) Mitchell hurt us in there, and (Chris) Hines hurt us in there. They got good production out of those guys at three and four.

Alabama did not relinquish the lead until an Auburn free throw put the Tigers up one with 45.5 seconds left in the first half. Brock sunk a floater 20 seconds later to regain the lead, 31-30, which would remain the score as the teams headed to the locker rooms for halftime.

Picking up where it left off, the Tide opened the second half with a 9-2 run over the opening 3:04 to push their lead to six points. The Tigers continued to battle and closed the gap to just one point. Four minutes later, Alabama again found itself with a seven-point lead with 9:33 remaining and did not look back.

"Our guys showed great fight," Grant said. " I thought in the second half we came out defensively and really set the tone with our ability to make them struggle really in terms of the pressure we put on them."

Alabama took control of the contest, outscoring Auburn 19-10 over the next 7:37 to extend the margin to 14-points, 61-47. With 53 seconds left in the game, the Tide held a 16-point advantage over the Tigers - the largest lead for either squad.

The Tide connected on nearly half of all its shots, shooting a crisp 49.1 percent (27-of-55) from the field for the game, including 75 percent (15-of-20) from the charity stripe.

Once again, Alabama showcased why it has the No. 1 defense in the Southeastern Conference, holding the Tigers to just 35.5 percent (22-of-62) from the field. In addition, the swarming defense forced Auburn into 14 turnovers, and had seven steals.

The Tide held the advantage on the glass, pulling down 41 rebounds compared to the Tiger’s 32. Alabama made the most of its rebounding, dropping in 17 second-chance points, while holding Auburn to just eight. The Tide outscored the Tigers in the paint, 44-28.

Up next, Alabama travels to Nashville, Tenn. for the SEC Tournament on Thursday, March 11. With today’s victory and South Carolina’s win at Vanderbilt, Alabama earned the No. 4 seed in the Western Division and will face South Carolina in the first round of the tourney on March 11 at noon in Nashville, Tenn.

Auburn and Florida will meet in the SEC Tournament, the second time in as many years that has happened. The Tigers defeated the Gators, 61-58, in last year*s second round in Tampa. The Auburn-Florida winner will play Western Division Champion Mississippi State at 6:30 pm Central on Friday.

Contributed
(March 6, 2010)

MT. PLEASANT, S.C.  – The Alabama baseball team used a pair of two-out rallies to post a 6-2 series-opening win over the College of Charleston on chilly, breezy night at Patriots Point Stadium.

Alabama (7-0) scored five of its six runs with two outs en route to its seventh straight win to open the season. In addition, 11 UA batters reached base with two outs. The Crimson Tide scored three runs with two outs in the second inning and added two more runs with two outs in the seventh to build a five-run lead.

“It’s been a good start,” Alabama head coach Mitch Gaspard said. “Really, in all seven games we’ve played really clean, our execution has been at a high level, but I think the key is pitching. We’ve gotten seven good starts and the bullpen has been solid throughout the games. The one thing to is defensively, we’ve made three errors in seven games. So, when you get those combinations, you have a chance to win a lot of games.”

The bottom of the order produced the first two-out rally in the second inning as the Crimson Tide scored three runs to take a 3-0 lead.  Alabama loaded the bases with two outs before sophomore center fielder Taylor Dugas stepped to the plate and lined a single to right field to score sophomore DH Jon Kelton and senior catcher Cody Trotter. Freshman right fielder Andrew Miller scored the third run when Dugas was caught in a run-down between first and second base to end the inning.

Alabama extended its lead to 4-0 in third inning when junior shortstop Josh Rutledge tripled into the right field corner and scored on junior second baseman Ross Wilson’s ground out.

College of Charleston (8-2) got on the board in the fourth inning with a run on two hits to close the gap to 4-1. Kolby Epley stroked a double into the left field corner to open the inning and Matt Leeds followed with a walk. Jose Rodriguez, who was down 0-2 in the count, lined single just over the glove of Wilson at second base to score Epley as the Cougars cut the lead to 4-1.

With the Cougars threatening, Morgan used en effective change-up to strike out the next three hitters and preserve UA’s 4-1 lead.

Morgan (2-0) worked five innings and allowed one run and six hits with six strikeouts and two walks.  He left after throwing 95 pitches, the highest pitch count for an Alabama starter this season.

“We went into the night wanting to get him up to 85 to 90 pitches and I think he finished with 92,” Gaspard said.  “I thought he really had to compete tonight.  They have an excellent offensive team and are very aggressive.  He really stood up in the fourth inning when they runners at first and second with no outs and got three big strikeouts.  He earned the win tonight.  He really competed for it.”

The Alabama bullpen took over from there as right-hander Nathan Kilcrease, left-hander David Head and right-hander Brett Whitaker worked the final four innings.  Kilcrease worked two innings and allowed one run, while Head worked 1 1/3 innings.

The Cougars threatened a comeback in the ninth inning when Thomas Brittle and Rob Kral reached on back-to-back singles against Head.  After Baker Knox fouled out, junior right hander Brett Whitaker replaced Head and got Rekar to fly out center and Mesa to strike out to earn his first career save.

Auburn beats Miami, Ohio

AUBURN - Down by four runs heading to the bottom of the seventh, Auburn scored eight times on seven hits, a walk and two hit-batters in the bottom half of the frame to rally for a 14-9 win over Miami (Ohio) on Friday night at Plainsman Park.

Creede Simpson (5-for-6, 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI) and Brian Fletcher (4-for-5, 2B, HR, BB, 3 R, 4 RBI) combined to hit nine of Auburn’s season-high 22 hits and drove in seven of the team’s 14 runs as Auburn (7-2) ran its winning streak to four straight.

"I didn’t have the best of hits but I will take them. The seventh was a complete momentum switch. Once the big inning occurred we were feeling great," Simpson said.

Down 9-5 going to the bottom of the seventh after leading 4-1 after four, Auburn’s highest-scoring inning of the season started with Fletcher’s fifth home run of the season and 32nd of his career, a solo blast to the back of the visitor’s bullpen to get Auburn to within three runs. Casey McElroy (1-for-5, 2B, BB, R) followed with a double and the rally was on as pinch hitter Dan Gamache singled home McElroy and Justin Bryant (1-for-3, HBP, SAC, 2 R), Simpson smoked a one-out, two-run double past the first baseman and Fletcher doubled in a pair with his second hit of the inning, a liner down the left field line. Tony Caldwell (3-for-5, 2B, 3R, 2 RBI) capped the scoring with a two-out double that put Auburn up 13-9.

"We try to build some momentum, get some guys on base and drive some runs in," Fletcher said. "At the beginning of the season I figured I would be seeing a lot more off-speed stuff and during practice and before games I have been trying to work on my approach. I am just trying to do the little things like move guys over to help the team."

Hawks beat Rust

Seniors Bryant Hall and Kyle Eller each drove in three runs to lead the Huntingdon baseball team to an 11-1 victory over Rust on Friday, in the opening game of a three-game series being played at Neal Posey Field this weekend.

In the contest, the Hawks (10-4) pounded out 11 hits, including two each from Hall, Eller, fellow senior Chris Knight and freshman Austin White. Huntingdon also took advantage of 11 walks issued by the Bearcats’ (0-4) pitching staff, as five of the free passes came around to score.

Junior Patrick Jackson and senior Josh Bennefield each scored two runs for the Hawks, three of which came after reaching via a walk.

On the mound, junior Sam Griffin kept the Bearcats in check, throwing just 91 pitches to work the first 7.0 innings. Griffin allowed only one unearned run and two hits, while striking out for to pick up his first victory of the season.

Rust managed just three hits for the contest and also committed four errors. Huntingdon finished the game with 12 runners left on base.

The two squads will square off in the final two games of the series on Saturday, when they play a doubleheader, beginning at 1 p.m.

SPSU defeats AUM

Brandon Chastain hit a grand slam and finished the game with five RBI to lead fourth-ranked Southern Polytechnic State University to a 12-3 win over Auburn University at Montgomery.

The Senators did not have to help the Hornets, but did so in the first inning allowing two unearned runs to give SPSU a quick 2-0 lead.

The lead grew to 3-0 in the fourth inning when SPSU added a run, but SPSU blew the game open in the fifth with six runs, four coming on Chastain’s grand slam over the right field fence to give the Hornets a 9-0 lead.

The Senators managed to push across three runs in the bottom of the seventh, with two of the RBI coming off the bat of Bruce Alter, but those would be the only runs AUM would score.

SPSU finished the scoring with two runs in the eighth and a single run in the ninth for the final margin of victory.

Jono Waugh led the Hornets offense with three this while Josh Grooms had two hits and two RBI and Mason Heller collected two hits and three RBI.

The Senators did manage 10 hits on the evening with Alter, Todd Cherry and Michael Dugan collecting two hits each.

David Harden (5-0) remained undefeated for SPSU going eight innings and allowing all 10 hits and the three runs.  He had three strikeouts and only walked one batter.

Aaron Elmore (0-1) went four innings in picking up the loss.  He allowed four runs, only two earned, and four hits while striking out two.

AUM (9-9/2-2 SSAC) and SPSU (18-1/1-0 SSAC) will conclude the weekend series tomorrow with a double-header beginning at noon.