re: Bama Baseball 33-22 (13-17) (2023-24)

Funny to see (funny strange, not funny ha ha) baseball and softball with identical conference records for polar opposite reasons. Baseball can score but spotty pitching is the Achilles heel. Softball has better pitching but can’t score to save their lives. Baseball desperately needs the series win today.

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Alabama baseball's back-and-forth contest with Ole Miss favored the Rebels, 9-8, on Friday evening at Swayze Field. Following game two of the series, the 18th-ranked Crimson Tide is 27-16 overall and 8-12 in Southeastern Conference action.

Ole Miss plated one in the first and two in the third to make it 3-0 after three innings. The Tide got on the board in the fourth thanks to a Justin Lebron solo homer and added four in the fifth, highlighted by a three-run home run off the bat of Will Hodo, to make it a 5-3 ballgame. Alabama's lead was short-lived, as the Rebs plated four of their own in the bottom of the fifth. The Tide drew even with two in the sixth, but, once again the Rebels answered, using a pair of solo homers in the bottom of the sixth to regain the advantage. Alabama was able to score one in the seventh but would get no closer for the 9-8 final.

The Tide offense was led by Lebron and Hodo, who each posted near identical 3-for-5 nights with a double, a homer and three RBI apiece while Lebron contributed two runs scored to Hodo's one. Ole Miss reliever Gunnar Dennis (4-2) was handed the win while Connor Spencer earned the save with a scoreless ninth. Braylon Myers (1-1) was tagged with the loss.

From Head Coach Rob Vaughn
"We just put too many guys on for free and weren't able to get a zero there in those middle innings. After we scored to take the lead (in the fifth), they respond with four and then we pump two up there to tie it up, but they answered immediately and get two right back. I didn't love the execution in some ways tonight, but the fight was there, and the competitiveness was there. Now we have a chance to go win a series on the road tomorrow."

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