TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama baseball (10-3) survived a Jacksonville State (10-3) threat in the final inning, though Hagan Banks induced a flyout to end the ballgame as the Crimson Tide secured a 6-5 win over the Gamecocks at Sewell-Thomas Stadium on Tuesday.

Banks picked up his third save of the season in the process, with the senior tossing the final 2.0 innings in the win. The right-hander struck out two in a scoreless 8th, though the 9th saw sudden suspense. With two on and two out in a two-strike count, JSU’s Matthew Cash lined a two-run double to place the tying run at second. However, Banks saw the next batter fly out to left field to cement the victory.

Ashton Crowther (1-0) tallied his first win as a member of the Tide after being called upon in the 5th and was forced to maneuver out of trouble. With two outs and two men in scoring position, Crowther created a strikeout to end the inning with his side’s one-run lead still intact. The left-hander proceeded to retire the next six men he faced through the 7th, helping Alabama to build a three-run lead late in the game.

Bobby Alcock was tasked with his first start of the season, as the veteran right-hander surrendered two hits and two earned runs with a strikeout across 3.0 innings. Sam Mitchell followed Alcock, allowing two hits, two earned runs and a walk over his 1.2 innings.

Offensively, Brady Neal opened the scoring with a two-run homer in his first turn at the plate. Neal eventually finished 1-for-3 with a walk two runs scored. Jason Torres drove in two runs, first with a bunt single in the 1st before an RBI double in the 3rd. Brennan Holt drove in a run as part of a 1-for-3 night while Justin Lebron contributed an RBI with a sacrifice fly.

“Yeah, good win tonight. (Jacksonville State) is one of the hottest teams in college baseball right now. There’s some tough dudes on the opposite side of the ball that just ran off good plans, good approaches. I’m so proud of the effort. Man, proud of the effort. How many guys can we get banged up in one night? But, it was just kind of next guy up, go do your job. The story of the game was (Crowther). Not only did he come in with two guys on, but he hung two more zeroes after that. And that’s what allowed us to get the ball to (Hagan) Banks late. And he did really kind of settle that game and kill any momentum. But proud of the effort, proud of the win. And now it’s on, to Alabama State tomorrow.”

How It Happened


B1 | Bryce Fowler started the inning with a walk and two batters later, Brady Neal slugged a two-run home run into the visitor’s bullpen. After the home run, Luke Vaughn walked and John Lemm singled hard to right, putting two men in scoring position. Jason Torres then laid down a bunt single towards the pitcher, allowing for Vaughn to score. (3-0, Alabama)
T2 | The Gamecocks struck right back, opening the inning with a single and a hit-by-pitch. A productive out pushed both men into scoring position, while a two-run single into left put JSU on the scoreboard. (3-2, Alabama)
B3 | Neal led off the inning with a walk but was followed by consecutive outs. With two down, Torres laced a double into the right-center gap, allowing Neal to score from first. (4-2, Alabama)
T5 | After the leadoff man was retired, the Gamecocks managed a double, a single and a hit-by-pitch to load the bases, with an RBI groundout creating a run for Jacksonville State. (4-3, Alabama)
B6 | The leadoff man Justin Osterhouse was plunked and later stole second, leading to Peyton Steele drawing a walk. With two men on, Brennan Holt sent a single through the right side to plate Osterhouse. Fowler was then hit by a pitch, loading the bases. Justin Lebron took advantage of the scoring chance, hitting a sacrifice fly to left field. (6-3, Alabama)
T9 | JSU opened the inning with a double to left field, while a bunt single placed runners at the corners with one out. After a stolen base put two men in scoring position, the Gamecocks hit a two-run double into the right-center gap. However, Hagan Banks created a flyout to left to end the game and contain the rally. (6-5, Alabama)

Postgame Notes


The win stands as the first in the Alabama career of Ashton Crowther
Crowther’s 2.1 innings were also a season-high, as were his two strikeouts
Hagan Banks recorded his third save in as many chances on Tuesday
Bryce Fowler improved his hitting streak to eight games with a single in the 4th
Luke Vaughn extended his on-base streak to 10 consecutive games
Justin Lebron’s 12-game on-base streak was snapped on Tuesday
Alabama improved to 4-0 in one-run games with the win
The Crimson Tide has stolen at least one base in 12 of its first 13 games and is a perfect 21-of-21 in its attempts
Attendance: 4,659

Up Next


Alabama will hit the road for an in-state matchup at Alabama State on Wednesday, March 4
The Crimson Tide and Hornets are scheduled for a 6 p.m. CT first pitch, streaming on SWAC TV