Alabama mashes its way to midweek victory

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – On a beautiful 70-degree afternoon in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the Crimson Tide powered its way to a dominant 20-11 victory over in-state foe Jacksonville State to move to 9-0 on the young season. A 13-run second inning paved the way for Alabama, as they hit five of their six home runs in that frame.

The Tide offense picked up right where it left off on Sunday after winning the Jax Classic. Will Hodo launched a three-run shot—just like he did to walk it off on Sunday—to give Alabama an early lead.

The Gamecocks responded immediately in the second inning with a solo homer of their own, but it ultimately had little impact on the game.

In a 13-run bottom of the second—the best offensive inning of the season, and likely the best all year—the Tide offense exploded for five home runs in the frame. Brady Neal started it off with an absolute moonshot halfway up the student section in right field for a two-run homer. A few batters later, Justin Lebron followed with a mammoth blast over the left-field wall and into the street for a three-run homer, his first of two on the day.

Coleman Mizell immediately followed Lebron’s homer with a solo shot of his own before Bryce Fowler cleared the bases with a grand slam to right, putting Alabama up 15-1. Then, to cap off the inning, Lebron launched his second homer of the frame down the left-field line, extending the Crimson Tide’s lead to 16-1.

“I think I was just more shocked that I did (hit two home runs in the same inning). I hit the second one, looked at it, didn’t know if it was going to go fair or foul so I just sprinted out of the box. I have never done that ever in my life so that was really awesome to do,” said Justin Lebron on his multi-homer second inning.

The Gamecock offense didn’t go down without a fight, rattling off 10 unanswered runs over the next six innings in a variety of ways before Alabama finally responded in the eighth.

“It felt like every mistake we made they capitalized on. Credit to them for not rolling over, it tells you a lot about their makeup…we’ll have our hands full when we head to their place next Tuesday,” said Alabama head coach Rob Vaughn on the Gamecock effort tonight.

In the eighth, the Tide added four more insurance runs before closing things out. Bryce Fowler brought the first across with a sacrifice fly, followed by Justin Lebron ripping a single through the left side to drive in another. A few pitches later, Coleman Mizell delivered a run-scoring single of his own before Jason Torres capped the night with an RBI double, bringing the game to its final score of 20-11.

Bryce Fowler and Justin Lebron led the way for the Crimson Tide as a dynamic 1-2 punch at the top of the order, each driving in five runs. Lebron also recorded a three-hit night, as did Richie Bonomolo Jr., who quietly went 3-for-3 with three runs scored. Will Hodo was excellent as well, going 2-for-3 with four RBIs, contributing to Alabama’s explosive offensive performance.

As for pitching, the Tide could have been sharper, allowing Jacksonville State to creep back into the game late. JT Blackwell got off to a strong start, but the Gamecocks eventually got to him in the fourth inning, tagging him for five runs.

Zach Kittrell and Connor Ball followed in relief, surrendering a combined four runs. However, Tyler Fay and Braylon Myers came in late to stymie what remained of the Gamecock offensive attack before Packy Bradley-Cooney took the mound in the ninth to slam the door shut.

Next Up: Alabama will host North Dakota State for a three-game weekend series at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. Game 1 is set for 4 p.m. on Friday, followed by Game 2 at 2 p.m. on Saturday, and the series finale at 1 p.m. CT on Sunday.TUSCALOOSA – Ala. – On a beautiful 70-degree afternoon in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the Crimson Tide powered its way to a dominant 20-11 victory over in-state foe Jacksonville State to move to 9-0 on the young season. A 13-run second inning paved the way for Alabama, as they hit five of their six home runs in that frame.

The Tide offense picked up right where it left off on Sunday after winning the Jax Classic. Will Hodo launched a three-run shot—just like he did to walk it off on Sunday—to give Alabama an early lead.

The Gamecocks responded immediately in the second inning with a solo homer of their own, but it ultimately had little impact on the game.

In a 13-run bottom of the second—the best offensive inning of the season, and likely the best all year—the Tide offense exploded for five home runs in the frame. Brady Neal started it off with an absolute moonshot halfway up the student section in right field for a two-run homer. A few batters later, Justin Lebron followed with a mammoth blast over the left-field wall and into the street for a three-run homer, his first of two on the day.

Coleman Mizell immediately followed Lebron’s homer with a solo shot of his own before Bryce Fowler cleared the bases with a grand slam to right, putting Alabama up 15-1. Then, to cap off the inning, Lebron launched his second homer of the frame down the left-field line, extending the Crimson Tide’s lead to 16-1.

“I think I was just more shocked that I did (hit two home runs in the same inning). I hit the second one, looked at it, didn’t know if it was going to go fair or foul so I just sprinted out of the box. I have never done that ever in my life so that was really awesome to do,” said Justin Lebron on his multi-homer second inning.

The Gamecock offense didn’t go down without a fight, rattling off 10 unanswered runs over the next six innings in a variety of ways before Alabama finally responded in the eighth.

“It felt like every mistake we made they capitalized on. Credit to them for not rolling over, it tells you a lot about their makeup…we’ll have our hands full when we head to their place next Tuesday,” said Alabama head coach Rob Vaughn on the Gamecock effort tonight.

In the eighth, the Tide added four more insurance runs before closing things out. Bryce Fowler brought the first across with a sacrifice fly, followed by Justin Lebron ripping a single through the left side to drive in another. A few pitches later, Coleman Mizell delivered a run-scoring single of his own before Jason Torres capped the night with an RBI double, bringing the game to its final score of 20-11.

Bryce Fowler and Justin Lebron led the way for the Crimson Tide as a dynamic 1-2 punch at the top of the order, each driving in five runs. Lebron also recorded a three-hit night, as did Richie Bonomolo Jr., who quietly went 3-for-3 with three runs scored. Will Hodo was excellent as well, going 2-for-3 with four RBIs, contributing to Alabama’s explosive offensive performance.

As for pitching, the Tide could have been sharper, allowing Jacksonville State to creep back into the game late. JT Blackwell got off to a strong start, but the Gamecocks eventually got to him in the fourth inning, tagging him for five runs.

Zach Kittrell and Connor Ball followed in relief, surrendering a combined four runs. However, Tyler Fay and Braylon Myers came in late to stymie what remained of the Gamecock offensive attack before Packy Bradley-Cooney took the mound in the ninth to slam the door shut.

Next Up: Alabama will host North Dakota State for a three-game weekend series at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. Game 1 is set for 4 p.m. on Friday, followed by Game 2 at 2 p.m. on Saturday, and the series finale at 1 p.m. CT on Sunday.