Alabama took their late-night baseball habit into the early morning.
And when it was over, the Crimson Tide was headed to Winston Salem. An 8-0 Tuscaloosa Regional final win over Boston College -- delayed more than 90 minutes by rain -- ended at 12:50 a.m. in what’s been a marathon weekend at Sewell-Thomas Stadium.
The finale wasn’t quite as dramatic as the Crimson Tide’s Friday and Saturday games but was enough to make its first Super Regional since 2010. The rout came a month to the day after head coach Brad Bohannon was fired amid a gambling investigation, setting in motion a run of 13 wins in the next 17 games.
“We all got a lot closer in the last month,” catcher Mac Guscette said. “We all just know it’s us against the world and we’ve just been battling our tails off.”
Waiting in the next round is No. 1 overall seed Wake Forest for the Winston Salem Super Regional that will begin Friday.
Alabama (43-19) drained the drama with a four-run first that required just one hit. Three walks and two hit batters plated the first two runs before Ed Johnson’s single to right brought two more home.
Boston College’s season ends with a 37-20 record.
The Tide got it done when it mattered most, at least early on, by scoring each of its eight runs with two outs. It added one run apiece in the second and third innings with a RBI double by Dominic Tamez followed by Tommy Seidl’s run-scoring single.
That proved to be more than enough on a night/morning that saw Boston College manage just four hits.
Starter Jacob McNairy, making his final start in Sewell-Thomas Stadium, got a standing ovation after pitching 7 2/3 innings of shutout ball. He allowed three hits and struck out 11.
“This is what I came back for, to have the chance to go to Omaha,” McNairy said. “We’re not done yet.”
And that ovation? It got the graduate student from Athens, Alabama -- a lifelong Crimson Tide fan.
“Yeah, it was kind of emotional,” he said. “I don’t get emotional a lot the cheering was awesome. I looked up in the stands and this place has been great these past five years.”
The Sunday night snoozer was a departure from the two come-from-behind wins Alabama needed to make the regional final. It beat Nicholls State, 4-3 in Friday’s opener before coming an error away from losing to Troy in what became an 11-8 win.
The Crimson Tide now advances to face the top overall seed Demon Deacons on the road. Wake Forest improved to 50-10 by outscoring the opposition 48-7 in a three-game regional sweep.
“Yeah, Wake has a great ballclub,” Alabama interim head coach Jason Jackson said. “I haven’t started looking at them but if you follow scores throughout the year … I know they have some really, really talented arms and they’ve got some guys who can swing the bat. There’s a reason they’re the No. 1 overall seed.”
Michael Casagrande is a reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or on Facebook.
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