Brandon May (UA photo)
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The Crimson Tide (7-3) led just 3-1 after six innings, but scored 11 times in its final three at-bats to win going away. The victory was Alabama's sixth in its last seven games.
Junior first baseman Clay Jones led the way for Alabama with five runs batted in — including a ninth-inning grand slam, while senior designated hitter Brandon May went 2-for-3 with three walks and four runs scored. The Crimson Tide had 11 hits overall against six pitchers for UTPA, which remained winless at 0-10.
“It was a very long game,” Alabama coach Jim Wells said. “The game took forever between pitches and they threw a lot of breaking balls. It’s hard to get a rhythm swinging the bat, that’s for sure.”
Senior right-hander Austin Hyatt was solid on the mound once again for the Crimson Tide, allowing one run on four hits in six innings to improve to 3-0 on the year. Freshman right-hander Tyler White worked three shutout innings for his first save of the season.
Alabama finishes the tournament on Saturday, facing host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at 5 p.m. The Crimson Tide beat the Islanders 10-2 on Thursday.