Eric Hines' Breakout Game Powers Alabama Baseball To Run-Rule Win Over Samford

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Eric Hines has arrived.

The highly-touted Alabama freshman made his second start in a row at designated hitter on Tuesday and took full advantage, going 3-for-3 with three RBI. He also delivered the moment everybody had been waiting for, his first career home run at Sewell-Thomas Stadium, to help power the Crimson Tide to a 16-2 win over Samford.

Alabama got off to a fast start, as Bryce Fowler and Justin Lebron led off the bottom of the first with consecutive hits before Brady Neal was plunked to load the bases. Jason Torres drove in the first two with a single up the middle to set the tone for what would be an incredibly fun offensive day.

After catcher John Lemm struck out, Hines came up for the first time. The crowd exploded as he knocked a single through the right side to bring home Neal and extend the lead. Hines was not the only freshman who had a big day, as Chase Kroberger grounded into a fielder's choice to bring in another run, the fourth and final run of the first inning.

Samford responded with its only two runs of the game in the top of the second, before Alabama got back to work in the third. Torres hit a leadoff single in that inning, and Hines moved him to third with his second hit of the day, another single to left.

That set up first baseman Luke Vaughn for his sixth home run of the season, moving into a tie with Brady Neal for second on the team, behind only Justin Lebron. As the crowd settled down from that hit, Kroberger went yard as well, just barely clearing the left-center field wall for his first career home run and hit.

Hines was hit by a pitch in the fifth inning to reach base for the third time. He would come around to score on a Fowler fielder's choice as a part of another four-run inning for Alabama, but the sixth is where he had his moment.

After taking a high first pitch for ball one, Hines hammered a ball to right-center field, easily clearing the wall for his first college home run in his hometown.

“It felt nothing short of amazing," Hines said. "Growing up, always coming to the games, always wanting to see myself on this field representing this university, God is good. He gave me the chance to come here, and I thank Him for it.”

Alabama played in its shortest game of the season, with a game time of just two hours and 19 minutes. That was all it needed in a statement win that serves as a reminder of how far the team has come.

Midweeks will so often bring about some kind of chaos, but the Crimson Tide has experienced that an exceedingly high number of times. From the run-rule loss to Southern Miss, to the pair of bizarre wins over Alabama State, to the excruciating loss to South Alabama, to last week's nail-biter against Jacksonville State, few midweeks have come easily.

On Feb. 17, Alabama needed an eighth-inning rally to beat Samford 3-2 in its first midweek of the season. On April 7, it handled those same Bulldogs with ease.

The milestones— Hines' and Kroberger's home runs and Rob Vaughn's 100th win with Alabama— are fun, but the win encapsulates the story of this season as it eclipses the halfway point: that this Crimson Tide team is radically different now than it was mere weeks ago.

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