TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – No. 23 Alabama baseball dropped the series finale to Presbyterian, 11-8, on Sunday afternoon at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The loss snaps the Crimson Tide’s program-record 16-game winning streak to open the season.

Jason Torres led the Crimson Tide’s offensive attack with a 2-for-4 showing, hitting a pair of two-run home runs. Will Hodo was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored, while Justin Lebron managed a 1-for-2 afternoon with a solo home run and three walks.

Bobby Alcock made his fourth start of the season, surrendering five runs (three earned) on three hits with one walk and four strikeouts in 2.2 innings. Tyler Fay continued his strong start to the campaign, allowing just one unearned run and two hits to go with a strikeout over his 2.1 innings. Matthew Heiberger (1-1) was hit with the loss, allowing three runs on two hits. Carson Ozmer turned in his longest outing of the season, working 2.1 innings of scoreless relief, punching out a season-high four batters. Austin Morris and Aidan Moza combined to work a scoreless ninth.

From Head Coach Rob Vaughn

“Tough way to finish the weekend. You run-rule twice, and then it gets you today. I had a boss tell me a long time ago, ‘you have to deserve to win.’ I thought from the second through the ninth, they were the tougher team in every facet. I thought they played cleaner defense than we did, I thought they threw more strikes and competed out of the bullpen significantly better than we did. They hit with guys on base better than we did today, and that’s why you lose. When you look at college baseball, it doesn’t matter if you’re the number one ranked team in the country or the worst team in college baseball, anybody can beat anybody. And I think that’s the beauty of this game. So, we have to turn our attention to Tuesday and bounce back.”

How It Happened

• B1 | With one on and one out, Justin Lebron blasted a two-run home run to left. Coleman Mizell worked a four-pitch walk before Jason Torres homered to right field. Will Hodo kept the hit parade going, hitting a line-drive double into the left-center field gap, eventually scoring on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Brady Neal. (4-0, Alabama)
• T2 | The Blue Hose struck for two runs on just one hit, scoring on a fielder’s choice and a sacrifice fly. (4-2, Alabama).
• T3 | Two singles and a walk loaded the bases for the Blue Hose, as the visitors connected on a three-run double. (5-4, Presbyterian)
• B3 | After Mizell was plunked to open the frame, Torres recorded his second homer of the day, a towering blast that snuck inside the left field foul pole. (6-5, Alabama)
• T4 | A leadoff single came around to score on a RBI groundout, aided by a fielding error by the Crimson Tide. (6-6)
• B5 | Hodo, Kade Snell and Jon Young Jr. each walked to load the bases for Richie Bonomolo Jr., who hit a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Hodo (7-6, Alabama).
• T6 | The Blue Hose struck for five runs on four hits in the frame, starting with consecutive doubles to lead off the inning. After a strikeout, the next four batters reached base, including a bases-loaded walk and a two-run single. A sacrifice fly to deep right field drove in the final run of the inning. (11-7, Presbyterian)
• B8 | With two on and two outs, Hodo lifted a fly ball to left that was eventually dropped by the Presbyterian left fielder, allowing Lebron to score from second. (11-8, Presbyterian)

Postgame Notes

• The loss on Sunday was Alabama’s first defeat of the season, ending a program record-tying 16 game winning streak
• Lebron extended his hitting streak to seven consecutive games, going 12-for-27 (.444) with one double, one triple, five home runs, 22 RBI, eight runs scored and six walks in that stretch.
• Kade Snell furthered his hitting streak to six consecutive games on Saturday. Snell is 10-of-19 (.526) with two doubles, two RBI, three walks, two hit-by-pitch and seven runs scored in that span.
• Snell also lengthened his on-base streak to 14 games
• Sunday marked Jason Torres’ first multi-homer game in an Alabama uniform
• Torres, Richie Bonomolo Jr. and Will Hodo all extended their on-base streaks to 17 games
• Coleman Mizell improved his on-base streak to 16 consecutive contests
• ATTENDANCE: 3,021

Up Next

• Alabama will head to Birmingham on Tuesday, March 11, to take on the UAB Blazers at Regions Field
• The contest is scheduled for a 6 p.m. CT start, with the game airing on ESPN+