TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – No. 23 Alabama baseball defeated No. 19 Troy, 3-1, in a pitcher’s duel on Wednesday night at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The victory improves Alabama to 14-0 on the young season.

The Trojans drove in the game’s initial run in the third, but the Tide immediately answered in its half of the inning when Justin Lebron provided the biggest swing of the night, connecting on a two-run home run to seize the early lead. Brady Neal produced an insurance run in the sixth with an RBI fielder’s choice, the final tally to what became the eventual final score. 

JT Blackwood surrendered his only run in the third, working 4.0 innings while allowing five hits to go with a pair of strikeouts. Matthew Heiberger (1-0) followed Blackwood’s effort by working a career-high 4.0 innings of his own, surrendering just one hit, one walk and a hit batsman while fanning three Trojans to earn the win. Carson Ozmer worked a scoreless ninth, allowing one batter to reach before striking out the next three en route to his fourth save of the year.

Will Hodo led the Tide’s offensive attack, turning in a 2-for-4 performance with a run scored. Kade Snell was 1-for-3 with a double while Brennen Norton and Coleman Mizell finished with one hit apiece.

From Head Coach Rob Vaughn

“That’s a top twenty-five matchup, and I think it lived up to the building. We’ve been able to go out and and really just kind of outslug people the first three weeks this season. But, a majority of the games we’re going to play the rest of the way are going to feel way more like tonight where it’s a pitch here, a play here, an opportunity to execute offensively there – and it was good to see us kind of stick with it. JT (Blackwood) was great to start. He scattered five hits and gave up one run, and he made some really big pitches in big spots. Then, obviously, getting Matty (Heiberger) back; he’s been working really hard to get himself back to where he’s at. Everybody knows he has a good heater, but he threw some really good changeups tonight. He executed in some big spots, fielded his position well, just all the things that elite winning baseball looks like, Matty (Heiberger) did tonight, and then (Carson Ozmer) finished it. We left some meat on bone there in the fourth and we could have lengthened that out a tick more, but credit Troy’s team, that’s a really good ballclub. So, good one for our group and proud of the way we competed tonight.”

How It Happened

• T3 | The Trojans opened the inning with consecutive singles before a productive out moved both runners into scoring position. With one out, an RBI groundout to short plated the game’s first run. (1-0, Troy)
• B3 | Richie Bonomolo Jr. led off the inning with a walk before Justin Lebron slugged a two-run home run to left-center. (2-1, Alabama)
• B6 | Will Hodo and Brennen Norton both singled to lead off the inning, while a deep flyout to center by Kade Snell allowed Hodo to move up to third. With runners at the corners, Brady Neal brought in Hodo with an RBI fielder’s choice. (3-1, Alabama)

Postgame Notes

• Alabama has now its first 14 games of the 2025 season, tied for the second-longest winning streak to begin a new campaign in program history, matching the 14-0 starts in 2020 and 2023.
• The 14-game winning streak is also tied for the third-longest winning streak overall in program history.
• The win becomes the Tide’s second ranked victory of the spring, having also defeated then-No. 12 NC State by a 4-1 score on Feb. 22 at the Jax College Baseball Classic in Jacksonville, Fla.
• Alabama has won nine consecutive games over Troy, last falling to the Trojans on April 2, 2019.
• Justin Lebron collected two RBI in the win, marking the ninth game this season in which he’s recorded multiple RBI.
• Richie Bonomolo Jr., Will Hodo and Jason Torres have now reached base in all 14 games this season.
• Coleman Mizell extended his on-base streak to 13 games on Wednesday.
• Kade Snell also maintained his on-base streak, now standing at 11 consecutive games.
• Bryce Fowler’s 13-game on base streak was snapped on Wednesday.
• Bonomolo Jr.’s seven-game hitting streak came to a close in the win.

Next, Alabama will welcome Presbyterian College to Tuscaloosa for the final non-conference weekend of the season. The three-game set begins on Friday at 6 p.m. CT with the contest airing on SEC Network+.