Tide Swats Hornets, 21-3

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March 27, 2026; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Alabama batter Luke Vaughn jogs the bases after hitting a two-run homer at Sewell-Thomas Stadium as the Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers played the first game of their three-game series. | Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

As the 7th overall seed in the NCAA Tournament the Alabama Crimson Tide faced off with Alabama State on Friday night in the Tuscaloosa Regional. Bama dominated the Hornets, taking a 21-3 victory in a rocking Sewell-Thomas Stadium. Oklahoma State lost to South Carolina Upstate in first game of the day. USCU took an 8-5 victory and moves on to play Alabama at 6 p.m. CT on Saturday. OSU and ASU will play an elimination game at 1 p.m. CT on Saturday.

Alabama’s Tyler Fay took his normal turn as Friday starter against Jorhan LaBoy for ASU. Fay struck out the first two batters of the game before allowing a soft single to Miguel Oropeza. A fly out ended the frame. The Tide wasted little time in taking the lead. Bryce Fowler blasted a triple to deep centerfield leading off and trotted home on a sacrifice fly by Justin LeBron.

Fay struck out the first two batters in the top of the second, hit the third, then struck out Alex Espillat to end the inning. The Tide added two runs in the bottom half when Luke Vaughn crushed his 9th home runs of the year, scoring Eric Hines in front of them. The Hornets mounted a two out rally in the top of the 3rd. Fay issued a two out walk to Breydon Divine followed by a long home run by Oropeza to cut the Bama lead to 3-2. Bama stranded two runners in the bottom half.

Alabama State got singles from Trey Callaway and JacksonWilliams to open the 4th inning. A slick double play started by Vaughn at first base and fly out to center field got Fay out of the jam. The Tide batted around in the bottom half, scoring six runs. Brennan Holt led off with a drag bunt single, and reached second on a throwing error. Vaughn lined a single into center field to plate Holt. Vaughn advanced on a wild pitch and scored on a single by Fowler. Brady Neal doubled to score Fowler. After a pitching change Jason Torres walked and Johnny Lemm was hit by a pitch. A wild pitch allowed Neal to score and a single up the middle by Hines brought home two more runs. Holt struck out in his second at bat of the inning to end the 4th with Bama ahead 9-2.

Fay had an easy 5th, allowing only a two out single, and notched his 6th strikeout of the game. The Tide continued to pile on in the bottom half. Vaughn led up with a walk and moved to second on a one out walk to Fowler, which led the Hornets to make another pitching change. Joe Dolinshek entered for ASU and after a wild pitch moved Vaughn and Fowler up 90 feet, allowed a mammoth home run to LeBron. Lebron’s 15th long ball of the season traveled out of the park and across the street into the law school parking lot. Dolinshek retired the next two batters and the Tide lead was up to 12-2.

Fay was back out for the 6th inning and sandwiched two strikeouts around a solo home run by Trey Callaway. After 95 pitches Fay was lifted in favor of Evan Steckmesser. It took Steckmesser two pitches to retire the side. Fay finished his night with 5.2 innings pitched, allowing 6 hits with one walk, one hit batter, eight strikeouts and three runs. The Tide had another six run inning in the bottom half off of three ASU pitchers. Lemm waked and Hines was hit by a pitch to start the inning. Holt singled to score one run and Vaughn was hit by a pitch. A wild pitch brought another run home and a ground out by Peyton Steele brought in yet another tally. Fowler then yanked a home run into the right field plaza to make the score 17-3. Alabama State brought in their third pitcher of the inning, Zane Baltz. Baltz struck out LeBron, then allowed another blast into the plaza by Neal, his 9th long ball of the year. When the inning ended Bama was up 18-3.

Steckmesser had a perfect 7th inning with a strikeout. Bama wasn’t finished. Lemm led off with a walk and pinch hitter Will Plattner followed with a free pass of his own. JoJo Williamson pinch hit and rapped into a fielders choice to put runners on the corners. Another pinch hitter in Andrew Purdy delivered a sacrifice fly to score Lemm. Justin Osterhouse drew a walk as a pinch hitter and yet another pinch hitter, Evan Taylor was up next, batting for Fowler. Fowler was a short of the cycle, and got it by proxy when Taylor lined a two bagger down the left field line to plate two runs. The hit was the first of Taylor’s career. With the score 21-3 the game moved to the 8th inning.

Owen Sarna took over on the mound for Bama in the 8th inning. Sarna walked the first man he faced and hit the second one. With Niguel Jenkins at the plate, Tide catcher Lemm took a foul ball off his right hand and went down in pain, having to removed from the game. Plattner moved behind the plate, and Sarna struck out Jenkins and the next two batters to maintain the score. Bama got singles from Chase Kroeberger and Joe Chiarodo in the bottom half. The single for Chiarodo was the freshmen’s first hit of his career. Senior Tate Robertson pitched the 9th for Alabama and struck out two in a scoreless, hitless, inning.

The Tide hit 15-39 in the game with eight walks, three hit batters, with seven strikeouts, and seven men left on base. Bama had two doubles, a triple, and three home runs. Fowler was 3-4 with a walk, a triple, a home run, four runs scored and three driven in. Neal had a 3-5 night with his 15th double, 9th home run, two runs, and two driven in. Vaughn finished 2-2 with two walks, his 9th home run, a walk, a hit by pitch, four runs, and three driven in. Holt hit 2-4 with two runs and one driven in while Hines was 1-3 with a walk, hit by pitch, two runs, and two RBI. LeBron was 1-5 with his 15th home run, a sacrifice fly, and four RBI. Taylor drove in two with his double and Lemm was 0-2 with two walks, a hit by pitch, and three runs scored. Fay got the win and is now 10-4 on the season with 112 strikeouts. With the victory Fay became the first Tide hurler since 2006 to garner double digit wins. In 2006 Wade LeBlanc won 11 games and freshman Tommy Hunter collected 10 wins.

Alabama State was 6-33 at the dish with two walks, two hit batters, 14 strikeouts, and seven men left on base. Oropozea was 2-3 with his 11th home run and two RBI. Callaway was 2-4 with his 17th homer of the year. Laboy was the losing pitcher and fell to 9-6 on the season.

Unlike several number one seeds the Tide took care of bussiness on Friday night. Coach Rob Vaughn secured his first NCAA Tournament win and was able to use 17 position players and four pitchers in doing so. Bama played almost flawless baseball, with a late throwing error the only blemish. The injury to Lemm could prove problematic, but as of now we don’t know the extent of the issue. If Lemm is unable to go, Neal would most likely would slide from right field to catcher and Steele would move from left field to right field, which could move Hines from designated hitter to left field. The Tide and South Carolina Upstate is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start.

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