HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – With two outs and the winning run at second, Justin Lebron lined a walkoff single down the left field line to push No. 12 Alabama baseball to a 4-3 win over North Alabama at Toyota Field in Huntsville, Ala. on Tuesday. The Crimson Tide snapped a brief two-game losing streak with the win while improving to 23-3 with the victory.

Lebron’s game-ending single stood as his only hit on the night, as the Tide shortstop closed 1-for-4 with one RBI and a hit-by-pitch. Kade Snell was the lone Alabama player with multiple hits, managing a 2-for-4 line with a double and a run scored. Garrett Staton returned to the lineup after missing 21 games due to injury, going 1-for-3 with a double, two RBI and a walk. Coleman Mizell recorded a base-hit in his first appearance atop the Tide order as well, finishing 1-for-5.

Aeden Finateri made his second start of the spring on Tuesday and opened the game in dominant fashion, tossing 2.0 scoreless frames to go with one hit and three strikeouts. Coulson Buchanan struck out five of the seven batters he faced, also contributing 2.0 shutout innings. Jack Ketchum tallied one out in a pivotal eighth, while Carson Ozmer (2-0) pitched the final 1.2 innings for the Tide, working around two walks in addition to one strikeout.

From Head Coach Rob Vaughn

“What a great atmosphere in Madison tonight. A very well-pitched game by both teams came down to your best player needing to be your best player, and he got it done. College baseball is such a roller coaster and on a night that we were not elite at the plate and couldn’t really string anything together, we pitched well enough to give (Justin) Lebron a chance in the ninth and he didn’t miss. Proud of the toughness and fight, and now we turn our attention to a great Oklahoma team coming to town this weekend.”

How It Happened

• B4 I Kade Snell led off the inning with a double before Will Hodo worked a one-out walk. A productive out moved both men into scoring position, leading to Garrett Staton’s two-run double to right-center. (2-0, Alabama)
• T6 I The Lions earned a leadoff walk before a two-out, two-run home run leveled the score. (2-2)
• B7 I Richie Bonomolo Jr. drew a one-out walk, eventually stealing second. Coleman Mizell grounded a single at the Lions first baseman, though an errant throw from the UNA second baseman towards first allowed Bonomolo Jr. to score. (3-2, Alabama)
• T8 I UNA opened the frame with a double, while a productive out moved the runner to third. A sacrifice fly to center would later bring in the tying run. (3-3)
• B9 I Will Plattner, who entered as a defensive replacement in the seventh, worked a walk to begin the frame and moved to second following a sacrifice bunt. With two outs, Justin Lebron lined a single down the left field line to plate the winning run. (4-3, Alabama)

Postgame Notes

• The walkoff win stands as Alabama’s third such victory this season, and the first since Jason Torres’ walkoff single against Presbyterian on March 7
• The Alabama pitching staff produced 14 strikeouts in the win, matching its season-high
• Kade Snell improved his hitting streak to six games on Tuesday, batting 13-for-24 (.541) with three doubles, two home runs, five RBI and three runs scored in that span
• With two more hits on Tuesday, Snell now has 15 multi-hit efforts in 26 starts this season
• Snell also lengthened his on-base streak to 23 consecutive games
• Will Hodo extended his on-base streak to 26 consecutive games
• Coleman Mizell stretched his on-base streak to 25 consecutive games
• Will Plattner improved his on-base streak to 10 straight games
• Coulson Buchanan recorded five strikeouts in 2.0 innings of work on Tuesday, surpassing his previous career-high of four strikeouts set on March 3 of last season against Dallas Baptist
• ATTENDANCE: 5,931

Up Next

• Alabama returns to Sewell-Thomas Stadium on Friday, March 28, to open a three-game weekend set against No. 9 Oklahoma
• The contest between the Crimson Tide and the Sooners will start at 6:00 p.m. CT, airing on SEC Network+