Alabama may have found another solid arm for the postseason, and it’s familiar face.
Junior right-hander Will Carter came out of the bullpen for the first time this season and fanned nine in five innings as the Crimson Tide beat Mercer 5-3 tonight at Joe Davis Stadium in Huntsville.
“The story of game, to me, was Will Carter,” Alabama coach Mitch Gaspard said. “He was dynamite. The velocity was mid 90s. He just threw great. All of the sudden, you’ve got another bullet moving forward with a big weekend against Vanderbilt and the SEC tournament.
“We really didn’t expect him to go five. But he was so good tonight, we hung with him.”
Carter (3-5) allowed just three hits and walked two batters. He entered the game with a 5.40 ERA in 10 starts.
“Everything was working pretty well,” he said. “I felt great, good pitch count, made a lot of plays. They’re definitely a good opponent. I was just hitting spots and making plays.”
Freshman Alex Watkins, making his second start for Alabama (29-24), allowed three runs on five hits with four strikeouts and a walk in four innings. Mercer (29-20) used seven pitchers. DJ Johnson, the Bears’ fourth hurler, took the loss after allowing a run on three hits in two innings.
Casey Hughston led the Tide offense, going 2-for-4 with three RBIs and a stolen base. Kyle Overstreet had a double and J.C. Wilhite tripled.
Alabama, which has won six straight, closes regular season with a three-game set against Vanderbilt starting Thursday at the Hoover Met.
“We brought a lot of momentum into the game,” Gaspard said. “I thought, offensively, we continued to have good at-bats throughout the ballgame, get some key two-out hits.”
CHANCE VINCENT UPDATE: Alabama’s starting first baseman Chance Vincent was hospitalized after colliding with Hughston during a game at Auburn last Saturday.
“It’s a separated shoulder,” Gaspard said. “The latest that we got today is that it’s a Grade 2. There won’t be any surgery involved. We’ll know more tomorrow as far as a timetable. We’re hoping for the best. Whether he returns this season or not, we just don’t know yet.”
9:07 PM: That’s a wrap. Will Carter strands Mercer runners at first and second. He finished with nine strikeouts in five innings of relief. Official game time: 2 hours, 36 minutes. FINAL: Alabama 5, Mercer 3
8:57 PM: Mercer brings in its seventh pitcher of the game, senior right-hander Dimitri Kourtis. He limits Alabama to one base runner. Alabama 5, Mercer 3 after eight
8:53 PM: Mercer’s Danny Edgeworth doubles with one out, then reaches third on a wild pitch, but Will Carter answers with his seventh and eighth strikeouts.
8:45 PM: Mercer’s wade gets the third out. Alabama 5, Mercer 3 after seven
8:42 PM: Riley Colburn leads off the bottom of the seventh by reaching second on a single-E1 combo, and later scores on Casey Hughston‘s single to give Alabama a 5-3 lead. Mercer is bringing in its sixth pitcher of the night, senior righty Mitchell Wade.
8:36 PM: Tonight’s announced attendance: 2,570
8:32 PM: Alabama reliever Will Carter strikes out two more. He has fanned six in three innings. Alabama 4, Mercer 3, mid seventh
8:23 PM: Kyle Overstreet leads off with a double to deep right-center, but the Tide follows with three consecutive outs. Alabama 4, Mercer 3 after sixth
8:17 PM: Mercer puts runners on second and third with one out via a catcher’s interference, single and wild pitch, but Carter gets out of the jam with a strikeout and pop out. Alabama 4, Mercer 3, mid sixth
8:06 PM: A Mercer 5-4-3 double play wipes out Alabama’s lead-off single by Georgie Salem. Morgan Pittman, a senior southpaw, becomes the Bears’ fifth pitcher of the night and gets the final out. Alabama 4, Mercer 3, after five
7:54 PM: Carter strikes out the side in the top of the fifth.
7:50 PM: Will Carter, a junior righty, enters for Alabama. He relieves Alex Watkins, who allowed three runs on five hits with four strikeouts and a walk in four innings.
7:46 PM: J.C. Wilhite shows off his speed on a one-out triple to right, then scores on Will Haynie‘s single to left. Alabama 4, Mercer 3 after four
7:35 PM: Mercer opens the top of the fourth with a walk and a double, and it leads to a pair of runs and a 3-3 score. Alabama 3, Mercer 3, mid fourth
7:28 PM: Alabama strands runners at second and third, but the Tide strikes for three runs. Alabama 3, Mercer 1 after three
7:23 PM: Casey Hughston with a two-run single to right to put Alabama up 3-1. Mercer is switching pitchers again. DJ Johnson, a senior right-hander is coming in with runners at the corners.
7:19 PM: Alabama gets its first hit on a Will Haynie one-out single. He later scored on Georgie Salem‘s single to center to tie it 1-1. The Tide has the bases loaded with two outs. Mercer is making a call to the pen. Austin Lord, a sophomore lefty, is relieving Eric Nyquist.
7:05 PM: Watkins allows a one-out single, but follows with a 1-3-6 pickoff and a strike out. He’s fanned four on the night.
5:59 PM: Alabama goes down in order again and is hitless through two innings.Mercer 1, Alabama 0, end second
6:52 PM: Back-to Back doubles by Nate Moorhouse and Howard Joe give Mercer a 1-0 lead. Watkins fanned two. Mercer 1, Alabama 0, middle second
6:43 PM: Alabama goes down in order in the bottom of the first. Alabama 0, Mercer 0, end first
6:35 PM: Watkins allows a one-out single, but escapes unscathed in the top of the first.
