Alabama baseball upsets No. 5 Vanderbilt to clinch series victory

After an interesting week for Alabama baseball that saw an investigation and a coaching change, the Crimson Tide got its biggest victory of the season Saturday. Alabama upset No. 5 Vanderbilt 2-1 to win the three-game series.

The Crimson Tide got some big performances from the pitching staff on Saturday, led by starter Jacob McNairy. He threw 6.0 innings, striking out seven while allowing just four hits and the game’s lone run. That opened the door for Kade Woods to come in and throw two innings of relief before Alton Davis II came in for the save in the ninth inning.

Alabama trailed 1-0 after the third inning, but answered back in the fourth on a Drew Williamson home run in the bottom of the fourth to tie things up. Then, Mac Guscette hit a solo shot of his own in the eighth inning to put the Crimson Tide in front 2-1, which held as the final score.

FINAL:
Alabama 2, Vanderbilt 1.

Alabama picks up its biggest win of the season, taking down No. 5 Vanderbilt to secure the series win. @tide1009 pic.twitter.com/fuuswrB647

— Kim Rankin (@kmrankin1) May 6, 2023

It’s the first series win for Alabama under interim coach Jason Jackson, who took over earlier this week following the firing of Brad Bohannon. Bohannon was at the center of an investigation into “suspicious wagering activity” in Ohio on the Crimson Tide’s game against LSU April 28, and ESPN reported he was in contact with a bettor at the BetMGM Sportsbook at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, citing surveillance video. Alabama won the first game under Jackson 11-2 on Thursday night before dropping the second game of the series on Friday, 4-1.

More on the situation involving Brad Bohannon, Alabama baseball

According to reporting from ESPN’s David Pardum, the person who placed two bets that were later flagged was “communicating with Bohannon at the time” the bets were placed.

Bohannon’s involvement was enough to lead the program to fire him, though a statement announcing the termination didn’t link it to the betting investigation directly but instead cited violations of the standards, duties and responsibilities of university employees.

The situation began to unfold with a Friday game between Alabama and LSU.

The Ohio Casino Control Commission first reported “suspicious wagering activity” at the BetMGM sportsbook at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, Ohio, after it was flagged by an independent integrity firm and multiple states began to halt bets on Alabama baseball, according to ESPN.

According to Ronnie Johns, the chairman of the Louisiana Gaming Control Board, via a report from NOLA.com, two bets were under scrutiny, including one large bet.

“There were a couple of bets made in Cincinnati, Ohio,” Johns said. “One was on a parlay which involved the LSU-Alabama game, and then there was another straight-up (money line) bet, I was told it was a large bet that involved LSU-Alabama.”