bottomcat, you could, if you like playing, add the acid to bring down the pH to 7 and then aerate the pool water with a shop vac or pointing the returns skyward etc raise the pH but this will have the effect of lowering your ALK.
Bicarbonate causes a buffering of the pH in water at around 8.4. Too high really isn't it (needed for tiled/plaster pools but not vinyl) so if you run like I do with a ALK level between 35-40ppm the pH is way more stable at 7.4.

The stoopid pool industry hasn't made a distinction between one type of pool and another. Then there are other pH buffers which are more acidic so could oppose the ALK level like the CYA stabiliser or adding a little magnesium chloride instead 100% of sodium chloride, (you could still add magnesium chloride to a chlorine dosed pool as well)