Gage Miller, Will Hodo Bright Spots in Alabama Baseball’s Saturday Loss to South Carolina
The Crimson Tide’s corner infielders had good days at the plate in the series finale against South Carolina.
When the dust settled on the Alabama baseball team’s failed comeback attempt in its series finale against No. 18 South Carolina, two players stood out as having had quality days offensively, perhaps helping set their team up for more production in a forthcoming four-game road stretch.
The No. 16 Crimson Tide’s corner infielders, third baseman Gage Miller and first baseman Will Hodo, had three hits each in a 9-8 loss on Saturday that came down to the final out.
For Miller, who is one of only a few players nationally with more than 40 runs scored, it was his second such game in a row, collecting three hits on Friday.
He has been able to work in two-strike counts, but won’t hesitate to hit a first pitch, and his efforts helped his team to a win in its second SEC series out of three contested thus far. On Saturday, Miller was also walked and hit on the back by an errant pitch in his first at-bat of the game.
Hodo hit two home runs, one in the second inning and one in the fourth, to bring his season total to eight. The Mississippi native also had a single during the bottom of the ninth inning, which the home team entered down five runs.
He and Miller each scored, with Miller tripling to bring home Hodo, in what became a four-run frame that ended in heartbreaking fashion when center fielder TJ McCants, the tying run, was caught off third base and tagged out to end the game. Had that not happened, shortstop Justin Lebron was due up with the bases loaded and the winning run on second.
Miller has put together quality plate appearances all season long out of the leadoff spot, is tied for the team lead in home runs with 11 and has six hits in the last two games. Head coach Rob Vaughn described the transfer as a walking barrel. “It’s not just slug,” Vaughn said. “He gets to two strikes, he does a great job adjusting to stuff.” One comparison Vaughn made for his third baseman was to LSU’s Tommy White, nicknamed “Tommy Tanks,” by some. “He [Miller] takes a lot of pride in it. You don’t take for granted when you get to coach players like Gage Miller.”
In Hodo’s case, Vaughn wanted to see him attack more after having some passive at-bats. “They [the at-bats] weren’t bad,” Vaughn said. “Just getting aggressive in the strike zone is one thing we’ve really wanted him to do, and I thought he did a great job of that.” The second home run was the result of Hodo sending the first pitch out of the yard. Both long balls went in the direction of the opposite field.
Despite the fact that Hodo is left-handed, meaning his opposite-field bombs do not result in souvenirs for the student section, a crowd of more than 4,500 appreciated the way he drove the baseball.
The Crimson Tide fell in Saturday’s game, but the result had no bearing on the outcome of the series, which Alabama (21-7, 4-5 SEC) won with victories on Thursday and Friday.
South Carolina (21-7, 5-4 SEC) took a win at Sewell-Thomas Stadium that turned out to be far less of a sure thing than when the home half of the ninth started.
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