Alabama Baseball Fights Off Late Rally, Ties Series with Friday Victory at Florida

Alabama baseball has 16 SEC wins for the second time in three seasons. The No. 18 Crimson Tide (40-14, 16-13 SEC) knotted up its road series at No. 23 Florida with a 9-6 win Friday night that featured nine unanswered runs being scored by the away team.

“Gritty win for the boys tonight. They just did what these kids do," Alabama head coach Rob Vaughn said.

Game one hero Brody Donay got to Riley Quick early with an RBI single in the first inning. Shortstop Bobby Boser followed with another in the second. The Crimson Tide got those two runs back in the top half of the third with a Justin Lebron sac fly and Kade Snell run-scoring single.

The fourth inning was quiet, scoreless on both sides, but Alabama embarked on a seven-run rampage that began with a five-run fifth frame. After loading the bases with one out, center fielder Richie Bonomolo Jr. reached on a fielding error by Boser which led to two runs scoring for the lead.

First baseman Will Hodo was hit by a Christian Rodriguez pitch moments later, paving the way for catcher Brady Neal to record his biggest hit as an Alabama player. With two away, he delivered a backbreaking, bases-clearing double. The score had gone from 2-2 to 7-2.

Thursday's game began to fall by the wayside for Alabama in the fifth inning, which eventually led to a 7-6 loss for the visitors after they had led 5-0. On Friday, the Crimson Tide did not stop at five runs; it added two more in the top of the ninth.

Bonomolo scored Lebron on a sacrifice fly. Hodo got another of his team's big two-out hits moments later with a solo home run, his 14th of the 2025 season. Those runs made a big difference with regard to tactics and management, because the home team did not fade quietly.

Florida (36-19, 14-15 SEC) shelled Alabama closer Carson Ozmer for four runs in the bottom of the ninth. Ozmer was stretched. Ordinarily, he might not have stayed in as long as he did or thrown as many pitches as he did, but there was a cushion to work with. It almost went away.

Boser started the rally with a two-run double. Third baseman Brendan Lawson entered the Gators into the sacrifice fly category with one for himself. Right fielder Ty Evans singled in the last run of the game. Ozmer entered the contest in the eighth inning and threw 50 pitches.

Alabama right-handed pitcher Riley Quick struck out seven batters across five innings. Florida's Billy Barlow, the second man to take the mound for Kevin O'Sullivan's squad Friday, was responsible for much of the fifth-inning traffic via three four-pitch walks (and the loss was reflected on his record).

"It ain’t always easy, and it ain’t always pretty, but the boys know how to scrap, and they did that tonight. Proud of their effort," Vaughn said.

The Crimson Tide, which will play for the series win on Saturday at 3 p.m. CT (SEC Network+) has also reached the 40-win benchmark for the first time since 2023. Saturday's game carries major postseason hosting implications for Rob Vaughn and company in addition to the series stakes.

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