Peyton Steele's Late Home Run Pushes Alabama Past Samford

HOMEWOOD, Ala. — Alabama baseball's bats were stagnant for the first seven innings of its first midweek game of the season against Samford. The Crimson Tide had just one hit through the first 21 outs and trailed Samford 2-0. Two hours of abysmal offense were erased in one frame, as a Peyton Steele home run put Alabama ahead and gave the Crimson Tide just enough to get past the Bulldogs and improve to 3-1.

The teams combined for just three baserunners over the game's first 3 innings, with nobody moving into scoring position. The top of the fourth brought about Alabama's first opportunity, as Luke Vaughn walked and Brady Neal was hit by a pitch to spark a two-out rally. After a call to the bullpen, new Samford pitcher Trey Sanders walked Will Plattner as well to load the bases. Peyton Steele then ripped a line drive right to third baseman Parker McDonald, who made an impressive snag to keep runs off the board.

Alabama would do the same thing in the top of the fifth, once again loading the bases without a single hit. Justin Osterhouse, Justin Lebron and Jason Torres all walked, setting up Vaughn with a bases-loaded opportunity of his own, where he harmlessly flew out to right field.

The Crimson Tide would draw one more walk over the next two innings, but that was all the offense to speak of. Starting pitcher JT Blackwood put out a great first start of the season, giving up just two hits and two walks over six scoreless innings. He showed very good command, rarely falling behind in counts, and an overall improvement from an underwhelming bullpen appearance against Washington State on Friday.

Blackwood was pulled just shy of 70 pitches at the start of the seventh inning. Austin Morris took the bump for the Crimson Tide and gave the Bulldogs their only offense of the day, allowing two runs to put Alabama in a hole. Luke Boykin and Trey Higgins each notched RBI singles against him. Morris also threw two wild pitches, and Neal had to save two more from getting away.

Alabama had its work cut out for it following that frame and responded. Freshman Andrew Purdy pinch-hit for Vaughn and was plunked with one out. Neal then singled to the right side, bringing him around to third, and he came home off a sacrifice fly from team captain Will Plattner. Steele then came up with an opportunity to redeem his bases-loaded, two-out lineout from the fourth inning, and did so, sending a ball over the right field wall for his first home run of the season.

Osterhouse, who is still looking for his first hit of the year, would strike out to end the inning, but that was all the offense Alabama would need. Hagan Banks took over on the mound and struck out five of the final six batters, allowing one single in each inning as the only baserunners of the final two innings. He earned his first save of the season as a result.

It was certainly not the offensive day that Alabama anticipated coming in, but in midweek baseball, so often it just comes down to finding a way to survive. With its back against the wall, Alabama did so, and now rises to 3-1 heading into Wednesday's home game against Alabama State.