Miller’s Eighth-Inning Homer Lifts Baseball to Series-Clinching, 7-6 Win over Tennessee

The Crimson Tide won its first series on SEC Opening Weekend since 2016

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – A three-run, go-ahead home run from Gage Miller in the eighth powered Alabama baseball to an eventual 7-6 win over fifth-ranked Tennessee on Sunday at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The victory helped the 12th-ranked Crimson Tide clinch the series against the Vols and improve to 17-3 on the season, including a 2-1 mark in Southeastern Conference play.

The Tide took an early lead with one in the first but a four-spot in the third helped the Vols gain the advantage. Alabama came right back with two runs in the home half of the third and tied it up with one run in the fourth before the two teams went scoreless headed to the seventh. In that seventh, Tennessee was able to score one and regain the lead until the eighth.

Alabama's eighth began with Mac Guscette being hit by a pitch before advancing to second on a one-out single from Justin Lebron. After a flyout, Miller came to the plate and proceeded to send a 1-0 pitch over the playground in left for a three-run home run that put the Tide in front by two entering the final frame,

Tennessee would not go quietly in the ninth, loading the bases with two down and drawing a walk to push across one run. With the bases still full, Aidan Moza shut the door for his first save of the season, getting three straight swinging strikes to end the ballgame at 7-6 in favor of Alabama.

Matthew Heiberger (2-0) got the win, working 2.0 innings and allowing one unearned run on two hits with a strikeout. Also highlighting the pitching effort was Braylon Myers, who tossed 3.0 scoreless relief frames with one hit, a walk and two strikeouts.

From Head Coach Rob Vaughn
"I can't tell you how proud I am of these guys. We sat in here all weekend talking about our pillars and what they mean to the program, and man, did these guys live them out the past two days. We got beat around pretty good on Friday, but we showed up and played really good baseball yesterday and today. We made it a little more complicated than it had to be there at the end, but, luckily, we got (Aidan Moza) that came in and slammed the door. That's what we talk about when we talk about toughness, grit, resiliency – (Moza) just embodied it today."