Live Blog: No. 16 Seed Missouri vs. No. 9 Seed Alabama Baseball at SEC Tournament

HOOVER, Ala.— Alabama baseball and Missouri are the two teams entrusted to start the 2025 SEC Baseball Tournament on Tuesday. The fourth meeting this season between these squads is a win-or-go-home contest in the first round.

The No. 9-seed Crimson Tide (40-15, 16-14 SEC) swept the 16-seed Tigers (16-38, 3-27 SEC) in Tuscaloosa in April. The first game was the closest, with a 7-5 final score. The last game of the series went seven innings; it was a 12-1 Alabama win featuring a seven-inning Zane Adams complete game.

Missouri's season will end if it loses Tuesday's game. In fact, the Tigers could make it all the way to the conference championship game but would still have to win it to continue their 2025 season.

The game starts bright and early at 9:30 a.m. CT. It will be broadcast nationally on SEC Network. The victor will face No. 8-seed Tennessee at the same time on Wednesday morning.

Be sure to refresh your browser for live updates from the SEC Tournament first round matchup between Alabama and Missouri. The most recent updates will appear at the top.

Ninth Inning:

Ozmer gets Serna to pop out, ending the game with the bags full. Alabama advances to play Tennessee tomorrow. FINAL: Crimson Tide 4, Tigers 1.

Nicoletto hits a sharp liner that is speared by Hodo for the second out. That could be the best defensive play he has ever made in an Alabama uniform.

Seals grounds one to Hodo, who tries throwing to second but hits the runner. Everybody safe. Bases loaded for Cayden Nicoletto.

Daniels hits a one-out single, followed by Ozmer hitting Lovich. Two on, one gone. Tying run to the plate.

Carson Ozmer is on to pitch for Alabama.

Eighth Inning:

Fowler grounds into an inning-ending double play.

Brady Neal hits a solo home run against Libbert to stretch the lead further. Alabama 4, Missouri 1. Nobody out in the bottom of the eighth.

Peer pops out to end the threat.

A two-out single by Keegan Knutson puts runners on first and second for the Tigers with the tying run on first base. Kaden Peer, who's 3-for-3, is up next.

Seventh Inning:

Torres flies out, ending the inning. The Crimson Tide does get an insurance run. All things considered, apart from issuing walks, this has not been a bad game for Missouri as SEC games go.

Hodo scores Kade Snell on a sacrifice fly. Snell hit into a fielder's choice, Richie Bonomolo singled, and the runners moved up a base on a wild pitch. Alabama 3, Missouri 1.

Libbert walks Lebron to start the bottom of the seventh.

Myers gets Seals looking on a payoff in the biggest pitch of the game. The Tigers strand a pair. Alabama 2, Missouri 1 at stretch time.

Heiberger will come out of the game with runners on the corners. Replacing him is veteran Braylon Myers.

Lovich records his second hit of the day, a two-out single, sending Daniels to third and placing the tying run 90 feet away. One of the biggest spots in this game with Seals due up.

Heiberger hits Brock Daniels with a two-strike pitch to flip the lineup.

All's well that ends well. Heiberger catches Peer running and he's tagged out at second.

Peer reaches first on what should have been charged as an error by Lebron. Tying run is aboard just before the stretch. The play was scored a hit, but that does not appear correct.

Matthew Heiberger will now be the pitcher for Alabama.

Sixth Inning:

Alabama goes down in order in the home half, but still leads 2-1 going into the late innings. The at-bats for the Crimson Tide today have largely not been exemplary. Some of the damage is due to walks.

A groundout by Keegan Knutson gets Fay out of trouble. A very strong outing for him on five days' rest. This is the kind of performance that sets up the coaching staff to manage other pitchers in more flexible ways.

Fay comes back out for the sixth and records two quick outs, but then the next two reach. Serna walks, and Tyler Macon singles through the middle.

Fifth Inning:

Libbert moves through the home half of the fifth with ease, putting up a zero in a 1, 2, 3 frame. Alabama 2, Missouri 1.

Fay works around a leadoff single and strands a man on second, finally getting through the fifth inning, something he hasn't been able to do over the last couple of weeks.

Fourth Inning:

Bonomolo grounds out to end the inning. Missouri is thin on the mound. Working counts and drawing walks against a team like that can lead to production.

Kade Snell repeats Lebron's feat with an RBI single, giving the Crimson Tide its first lead. Alabama 2, Missouri 1. Runners on the corners for Bonomolo.

Lebron singles Norton home on a two-strike pitch to tie the game. It's the Crimson Tide shortstop's 70th RBI of the year. Fowler goes from first to third. Alabama 1, Missouri 1.

Libbert walks Fowler, and the trajectory of this inning has changed with two on and two out for Justin Lebron.

Brennen Norton gets a soft-contact single to right field. Good effort to catch it by Pierre Seals came up just short.

Wil Libbert is now on the mound for Missouri.

Fay gets the next two hitters to retire the side. He's pitching well and could be in the lead if the offense had gotten a big two-out hit.

Mateo Serna starts the scoring with a one-out solo home run against Fay. The Alabama bullpen thinks it went foul. No. 9 on the season for the Missouri catcher. Tigers 1, Crimson Tide 0.

Third Inning:

Jason Torres strikes out on three pitches; this game is still scoreless. That was the biggest moment of the game so far, and the Crimson Tide let Sam Horn off the hook clean.

Hodo draws another walk to load the bases. Horn's command is going by the wayside.

Horn walks Richie Bonomolo Jr. with two away.

Kade Snell hits into a fielder's choice and is retired, but Justin Lebron, who walked in the previous at-bat, makes it to second safely.

Bryce Fowler bloops a leadoff single off the end of the bat, but gets caught stealing for the first out.

The Tigers go down in order in the visiting third. First hitless frame of the day for the 16-seed.

Fay works back from a 3-0 count to strike Brock Daniels out. That'll turn the lineup card over for Missouri.

Second Inning:

Brady Neal's one-out single goes for naught as Alabama otherwise goes down without incident. The next time the Crimson Tide bats, it will be the top of the order. It's still a 0-0 game.

Fay gives up a two-out single to Kaden Peer, but a nice defensive play from Justin Lebron gets the Crimson Tide out of the inning without anything else going awry for Alabama.

First Inning:

Sam Horn walks a pair in the first, but a backwards K on Will Hodo retires the Alabama side in the opening inning. Borderline pitch. No score on either side.

Tyler Fay retires the next three batters, striking out two in a scoreless top of the first.

Jackson Lovich leads the game off with a single.

Pregame:

Alabama is wearing pinstripe uniforms with camo hats. The pinstripes are normally the Crimson Tide's Saturday uniform. The camo hats were a staple of the final stages of the 2023 season.

Alabama's lineup:
1. Bryce Fowler, right field
2. Justin Lebron, shortstop
3. Kade Snell, left field
4. Richie Bonomolo Jr., center field
5. Will Hodo, first base
6. Jason Torres, third base
7. Brady Neal, catcher
8. Garrett Staton, designated hitter
9. Brennen Norton, second base
P: Tyler Fay (RHP)

Missouri's lineup:
1. Jackson Lovich, shortstop
2. Pierre Seals, right field
3. Cayden Nicoletto, left field
4. Mateo Serna, catcher
5. Tyler Macon, left field
6. Keegan Knutson, second base
7. Kaden Peer, center field
8. Chris Patterson, third base
9. Brock Daniels, designated hitter
P: Sam Horn (RHP)