TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – No. 8 Alabama baseball saw its sizable lead shrink in the seventh, though 10 early runs over the first three innings were enough to lead the Crimson Tide to an 11-9 win over Samford on Tuesday night at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. Leading 10-2 entering the seventh, the Tide saw the Bulldogs plate seven runs to trim its lead to just a run, though Hagan Banks and Carson Ozmer provided important innings in relief to improve the Tide to 26-4.

Richie Bonomolo Jr. had an impressive night at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a double, a home run, a walk, five RBI and three runs scored. Bryce Fowler was 2-for-4 as well with a double and a walk, contributing two RBI. Brady Neal finished 1-for-5, lifting an RBI double, while Justin Lebron and Garrett Staton were each responsible for run-scoring singles. Jason Torres reached base in all five of his plate appearances, closing 3-for-3 with a double and two walks. Will Plattner collected a double and a run scored, with Will Hodo drawing three walks in his five trips to the plate.

JT Blackwood made his sixth start of 2025 on Tuesday, opening the game with 2.0 perfect innings to go with two strikeouts. Coulson Buchanan (1-0) notched his first win of the spring, tossing 2.2 scoreless frames, not allowing a hit while managing three strikeouts. Connor Lehman impressed in his collegiate debut, retiring all four batters he faced including a pair of strikeouts. In a one-run game in the eighth, Banks settled the contest with a scoreless inning while Ozmer struck out the side in the ninth to earn his eighth save of the campaign.

From Head Coach Rob Vaughn

College baseball, right? We played almost that same game against them at their place last year, had a huge lead late. But it’s just a testament to these kids’ resiliency and toughness. Great start by JT (Blackwood). I thought (Coulson) Buchanan was outstanding today. Connor Lehman‘s going to be a weapon for us. Finally getting him back healthy, and he feels great, he threw the ball really good. Samford had some momentum, and they just kept coming. (Hagan) Banks kind of recaptured that momentum in the eighth, so again, just the resiliency and toughness of this group just continues to show up when we need it most, and at the end of the day, it’s college baseball and it’s a win. That’s all that matters. We’ll turn our attention to Friday over at Auburn and try to get to work.

How It Happened

• B1 | Three of the first four men in the Tide lineup drew walks, loading the bases with one out. Bryce Fowler lined an RBI single into right to plate the game’s first run. (1-0, Alabama)
• B2 I Garrett Staton earned a walk to lead off the inning, moving to second after an errant throw by the Samford first baseman on a fielder’s choice. Richie Bonomolo Jr. then lifted a three-run home run to left field. With two outs, consecutive doubles by Jason Torres and Fowler allowed the former to score the fourth run of the inning. (5-0, Alabama)
• T3 I Samford opened the third with two walks and a single, loading the bases with no outs. The Bulldogs then plated two runs following a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch and a sacrifice fly. (5-2, Alabama)
• B3 I The first two men in the UA order drew free passes before Brady Neal lifted an RBI double off the center field wall. Bonomolo Jr. followed Neal with a double of his own, scoring two, leading to Justin Lebron’s RBI single to right. Torres’ single up the middle pushed Lebron to third, with the Tide shortstop coming home as the result of a wild pitch. (10-2, Alabama)
• T7 I The Bulldogs managed seven hits, one walk and a hit-by-pitch to score seven runs in the inning, highlighted by a three-run home run, a two-run double, an RBI single and a sacrifice fly. (10-9, Alabama)
• B8 I Will Plattner started the frame with a double to left-center, while Coleman Mizell’s groundout to second advanced Plattner to third. Garrett Staton followed Mizell with an RBI single into left-center to drive in a late insurance run. (11-9, Alabama)

Postgame Notes

• Alabama improved to 9-0 in midweek games with Tuesday’s win
• The victory also stretched the Tide’s winning streak over Samford to 10 consecutive games, a streak that began in 2019
• The Tide drew 10 walks on Tuesday, the most in a game since Feb. 23 against Ohio State when Alabama earned 11 free passes
• UA’s five doubles matched its season-high set on Feb. 19 against Alabama State
• Richie Bonomolo Jr.’s five RBI becomes a new career-high for the Tide center fielder, surpassing his four RBI against Alabama State on Feb. 19
• Coulson Buchanan earned the win following his 2.2 scoreless innings, picking up his first victory since May 10 against LSU last season
• Buchanan has also not allowed a run in each of his last five appearances out of the bullpen
• Justin Lebron has produced at least one hit in each of his last five contests, going 7-for-21 (.333) with two doubles, one home run, two walks, and five runs scored in that span
• Jason Torres extended his on-base streak to 10 games following his 3-for-3 effort
• ATTENDANCE: 3,883

Up Next

• Alabama will return to action on Friday, April 4 when the Tide heads to Auburn for a weekend conference series
• The contest between the Crimson Tide and Tigers is scheduled for a 6 p.m. CT start, airing on SEC Network+