February 28, 2020

By Alex Thompson

University of Alabama Athletics Communications

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama baseball posted a season-high 19 hits and 14 walks on the way to 15 runs in a 15-3 win over Harvard on Friday afternoon at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The win pushes the Crimson Tide to 10-0 to start the season, tied for the third-best start to a season in program history.

Alabama scored in five of the final seven innings, highlighted by a seven-run third inning put the game out of reach early. All 13 hitters reached base safely at least once on the day with eight total batters posting multi-hit outings. Leading the way on offense were seniors Brett Auerbach and Kolby Robinson along with freshman Peyton Wilson, with the group recording three hits apiece. Wilson added a team-high three runs scored and two RBI while Auerbach and Robinson each scored two runs. Freshman Owen Diodati (Niagara Falls, Ont.) led the team in walks, drawing five on the day to match the program record for a single game.

Connor Prielipp (3-0) picked up his third win in the Friday start, building on his previous two performances. The freshman worked a season-long 6.0 innings, allowing only two hits and a walk while striking out a season-high nine batters. Prielipp has now struck out seven or more in all three starts and has accumulated 24 punchouts across 15.0 innings to begin his Crimson Tide career.

Postgame Notes
-Alabama is 10-0 to begin the 2020 campaign which is the best start under head coach Brad Bohannon, surpassing the 2018 squad’s 9-0 start to the year. The 10-0 mark is the best start to a season since 2002 when Jim Wells’ team began 10-0. The 10-win mark has been reached three times now (also 1998) while the 1988 team won 11 straight and the 1997 squad won 15 consecutive games to start the season – the program’s all-time mark.

-Freshman Connor Prielipp worked a career-long 6.0 innings and struck out nine, also a career-best total. Prielipp has improved on his innings and strikeout total in each of his three starts.

-The Crimson Tide set a season-high total for runs with 15. The 15 runs are the most by UA since April 9, 2019 at Samford when Alabama posted 21 runs.

-Alabama tallied 19 hits in the game, the most since the Tide totaled 19 hits in that Samford game last season.

-The Crimson Tide scored seven runs in the third inning of today’s game. The seven-run inning is UA’s most in a single frame since March 8, 2019, when UA posted seven in the fifth inning of the matchup with Northern Kentucky.

-The six hits in that seventh inning are the most in any frame this season and the most since Alabama had six in that same fifth inning against Northern Kentucky.

-Alabama has now recorded double-digit hits in seven games this season, including six of the seven matchups at Sewell-Thomas Stadium.

-All 13 batters reached base safely at least once on the afternoon.

-Eight of Alabama’s nine starters totaled one or more runs.

-Seven of the nine starters for the Crimson Tide posted double-digit hits on the night. Alabama had eight total multi-hit efforts as Jackson Tate came off the bench to go 2-for-4.

-Owen Diodati (Niagara Falls, Ont.) drew five walks to match the Alabama record for walks in a game. He tied Joe Breaux, who drew five vs. Washington State in game one of a doubleheader on Feb. 23, 2018.

-Kolby Robinson’s 3-for-6 day extended his hitting streak to eight games, the longest by any member of the Crimson Tide this season. Across those eight games, Robinson is batting .375 (12-32) with four doubles, six RBI, five runs scored, two hit-by-pitch and a stolen base.

-With his 2-for-3 day, Tyler Gentry extended his hitting streak to five games. Over that stretch, Gentry is batting .733 (11-15) with a double, two home runs, seven RBI, eight runs scored, two walks and two hit-by-pitch.

Alabama will look to secure the series win over Harvard Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. CT. The game will feature a pair of righties as the Crimson Tide will look to sophomore Connor Shamblin in the start while the Crimson counter with Owen Holt, also a sophomore.