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Dylan Smith helps Alabama stay alive in NCAA Regionals with complete game, career outing
By Keith Farner
Published:
Alabama had a win-or-go-home situation on Saturday, and Dylan Smith delivered a performance the Crimson Tide needed most to knock off Rider and stay alive on Sunday.
Smith pitched the first complete game since Sam Finnerty against South Carolina in game one of the doubleheader on April 5, 2019, and Alabama prevailed 3-1. Alabama will play Sunday at 2 p.m. CT against the loser of Saturday night’s game between No. 1 seed Louisiana Tech, the bracket host, and No. 2 seed North Carolina State. The nine-inning effort from Smith also put Alabama in great shape, considering the circumstances, for Sunday’s game. He struck out seven and allowed six hits in the win.
The Tide dealt with an offensive slump in recent games, and entering Saturday’s elimination game having scored a total of three runs in its past three games, all losses, since an upset SEC tournament win over Tennessee. On Friday, Alabama fell to N.C. State, 8-1.
Pitching coach Jason Jackson said after the win, “Jacob McNairy will probably get the ball tomorrow and we’ll go from there, we’ve got everyone available. Dylan today going 9 innings for us was huge.”
CG to move on to tomorrow 👌#RollTide | #GVT pic.twitter.com/IEkINBrwts
— Alabama Baseball (@AlabamaBSB) June 5, 2021
H/T Roger Hoover.
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
