Alabama Baseball Upset by Miami in Opening Round of Hattiesburg Regional

HATTIESBURG, Miss.— In both 2024 and 2025, the Alabama baseball team lost its first regional game. The No. 2 seed Crimson Tide lost 5-3 to No. 3-seeded Miami in Friday's Hattiesburg Regional opener, missing a walk-off home run by mere feet.

"They came out early and kinda threw a haymaker first," Alabama head coach Rob Vaughn said. "We fought out way back into it [after going down 4-0]. We saw kind of the grit and fight of these guys."

A weather delay lasting approximately 45 minutes preceded Crimson Tide pitcher Riley Quick's first postseason start. Whether it was the delay, general jitters or some combination of those two things, his outing did not commence in promising fashion.

Miami got hard contact off Quick after a leadoff walk in the first inning. Left fielder Max Galvin nearly hit a home run, but Bryce Fowler brought the ball back in right, holding him to a very long single. Hurricanes star third baseman Daniel Cuvet sent a ball out near that exact spot on the next at-bat.

"[I] just pick[ed] up the ball well," Cuvet said.

Alabama (41-17) shortstop Justin Lebron made it to third in the bottom half of the inning after a one-out double but was left stranded 90 feet away from scoring his team's first run of the regional. Cuvet got a 3-0 green light in the top of the third and hit a leadoff double.

That run eventually came around to score, placing Quick's line through three innings pitched at six hits, four earned runs and two bases on balls. The Crimson Tide bats didn't have anything to offer through the first three frames, going scoreless on a pair of hits against freshman pitcher AJ Ciscar.

Things took a turn in Alabama's direction during the home half of the fourth. With the bases loaded and one out, Brady Neal grounded out to first baseman Renzo Gonzalez. Team captain Kade Snell ran home and scored on a tag play, with an initial safe ruling upheld after a Miami challenge.

Second baseman Brennen Norton capitalized on this opening with a base knock into the left field corner, plating a further two runs. Ciscar walked the next batter and induced a popout from Fowler to work out of the jam, keeping it a one-run game.

"It was big, but, it just, I'm still kind of upset that we didn't get the job done," Norton said. "We've just gotta be mature enough to move on and win tomorrow."

Galvin hit a leadoff home run to right center in the fifth in no-doubt fashion, putting a bit more separation between the Hurricanes (32-24) and Crimson Tide. Quick had difficulty getting whiffs all afternoon, and Friday was the first time he gave up multiple home runs in a game this season.

Quick did record his 100th career punchout during the top half of the sixth. A one-out double by right fielder Fabio Peralta put runners on second and third. A mound visit ensued, but Quick, who had 98 pitches by that point, remained in the game. He got two more outs, fighting off the threat.

He finished with six innings under his belt in his first appearance since May 16, delivering 108 pitches (a career high) and fanning six. Sophomore left-hander Matthew Heiberger stepped up to relieve him, tossing a scoreless seventh and retiring the side in order. He left a man on second in the eighth.

Ciscar went a full seven innings, notching an eight-strikeout quality start with three earned on 97 pitches. The outing was more impressive when accounting for the fact that the righty is a true freshman who went up against a ranked SEC team in a setting that puts the loser's season severely on the ropes.

"He's just good, man," Vaughn said. "I knew he was going to be a bear. I talked to a lot of my buddies in the ACC, and they asked, 'Who's throwing?' I told them Ciscar. They're like, 'Oh boy.'"

Hurricanes coach J.D. Arteaga went to Carson Fischer first out of the visitors' bullpen. Alabama greeted him with a leadoff single from Snell. Center fielder Richie Bonomolo Jr. reached on a fielder's choice that wiped out the lead runner.

Fischer walking former Hurricane Jason Torres with Bonomolo on second forced another pitching change. Rob Evans struck Neal out swinging, stranding the pair with no damage in the scoring column. Some fancy defensive work by Miami on a Will Hodo groundout helped in that area.

Vaughn decided not to pinch-hit for Neal because lefties have had success against the left-handed Evans. He acknowledged postgame that this kind of decision goes against what common strategy dictates.

Heiberger sat the Hurricanes down in order in the top of the ninth. Miami responded by sending in junior righty Brian Walters. Norton, Mizell and Fowler were tasked with extending the game at the plate.

On a day where the Crimson Tide hurt for quality at-bats, two of those three didn't flip that trend around. Norton struck out looking on a tough call. Mizell, whose playing time decreased sharply during SEC play, grounded out. Fowler passed the baton to Lebron after a 13-pitch plate appearance, battling as hard as anyone on his team had all afternoon.

"'It] also just gives us life when he's up there battling his tail off," Norton said. "That gives us life. Even with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, we still had it almost in our hands."

Lebron got plunked with a 3-1 pitch. Snell, who hit a home run in Hattiesburg last season, then flied out to the wall to end it. He just missed a game-winning blast. The four runs Miami scored in the first two innings of the ball game would have been enough to win by themselves. The Crimson Tide finished the game with seven hits.

"I just knew that ball was out off Kade's bat," Vaughn said solemnly. "We're about a foot short today. And that's a hard one to swallow. Kade Snell deserved that thing to blow about a foot further, and it didn't, and that's this game."

If Snell had hit that ball in the first inning, it would have left the yard. That's baseball. If Troy makes a routine 6-3 putout in 2023, the Crimson Tide probably doesn't make the Winston-Salem Super Regional.

"No doubt in my mind it was staying in the park," Arteaga said with a laugh. "Off the bat... the worst thoughts in your mind."

Alabama's season will be on the line at Pete Taylor Park Saturday at 2 p.m. CT. The Crimson Tide plays against whichever school loses Friday's night game between regional host Southern Miss and No. 4 seed Columbia.

"[I] anticipate a really frustrated ride back to the hotel," Vaughn said. "I trust in this group... You can't act like this isn't disappointing. Let's just call it what it is. It's one thing when you come out and get your tail kicked. These hurt worse.

"That's the game of baseball. There's a foot that's the difference in this game... I have zero doubt that we will roll out here tomorrow, regardless of who we're playing, and there will be no hangover from today."

Alabama Baseball Upset by Miami in Opening Round of Hattiesburg Regional

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