No. 23 Alabama Baseball Completes Season Sweep of Jacksonville State on Windy Day

It was clear before Tuesday's game between No. 23 Alabama baseball and Jacksonville State even started that the game was going to look different from the Feb. 25 meeting between the two teams.

The Crimson Tide (13-0) hit six home runs that day and won 20-11. On Tuesday, strong winds in Jacksonville, Ala., made a repeat of that feat unlikely. Neither side hit so much as one home run, but Alabama's potent offense still led the way in an 11-1 win.

"A very professional win from our guys tonight," head coach Rob Vaughn said. "The weather was wild, but our boys were locked in and won it with a lot of toughness."

Continuing a trend of walking more times than striking out, the Crimson Tide bats also managed 15 hits, a good day at the plate regardless of weather conditions. Leadoff man Bryce Fowler and team captain Kade Snell each had both three hits and at least one RBI. Center fielder Richie Bonomolo Jr. scored three runs in the game.

The teams scored a run apiece in the third inning, first with Alabama third baseman Jason Torres drawing a bases-loaded walk out of Gamecocks (10-3) starter Grayson Knight. Jacksonville State's Ace Williamson was hit by a Braylon Myers pitch in the home half.

That was the only run the home team would score all evening. The Crimson Tide added two more runs in the fourth and another two in the sixth, scoring at least once in every inning thereafter.

Shortstop Justin Lebron finished the contest with four runs batted in, stretching his season total to 32. One of those came on a bases-loaded walk. Another was on an eighth-inning triple (scoring Bonomolo) which the wind made difficult for Gamecocks right fielder Colton Hegwood, who led his team with two hits on the offensive end.

Catcher Will Plattner also joined the multi-RBI club, with two of his own on two hits with a double. He was one of the most productive offensive players early in the game. The Crimson Tide's backup catcher has been very good offensively, scoring two runs Tuesday.

The visitors' pitching staff had a very different kind of game from the first meeting, giving up just the one run between four different arms. Righty Aeden Finateri got his first start of 2025, going 2.1 innings and 43 pitches while allowing three hits and the run.

"Finateri gave us a great start," Vaughn said.

Myers, a senior, had another strong showing out of the pen. He has become one of the team's best relief pitchers. He was credited with the win after a 2.2-inning performance and still has an earned run average of zero. Tate Robertson came in after him and went three hitless innings, fanning one. Ariston Veasey struck out the side in the ninth.

The Crimson Tide was also active on the basepaths again, stealing four bags. That was good enough for Rob Vaughn's squad to pass its season total from 24 in only 13 games this season.

"Proud of the way our guys went about their business tonight," Vaughn said.

Alabama will head back home on Wednesday to another difficult test, this one against No. 19 Troy. First pitch is set for 4 p.m. CT.

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