Alabama
15-7
South Alabama
14-7
Defensive Woes Prove Costly in Baseball’s 6-3 Loss at South Alabama
3/18/2026 12:30:00 AM | Baseball
The Crimson Tide committed five errors and allowed five unearned runs in the defeat
MOBILE, Ala. – Alabama baseball (15-7) held a 3-1 lead entering the bottom half of the 7th, though two errors in the inning led to four unearned runs, as the Crimson Tide was eventually defeated 6-3 by South Alabama (14-7) on Tuesday at Stanky Field. In total, Alabama committed five errors over the course of the evening, equating to five unearned runs.
Bobby Alcock was tasked with his third midweek start and gave his side an early boost. Alcock tossed 2.0 scoreless innings, scattering four hits to go with two strikeouts. Luke Smyers followed Alcock with a solid relief effort, striking out four while being responsible for an unearned run in his 2.0 innings on Tuesday. Sam Mitchell helped Alabama escape a jam in the 5th, as the right-hander issued a walk while adding a strikeout across his lone inning. Anthony Pesci worked around a pair of hits and a walk over 0.2 scoreless innings.
Ashton Crowther (1-1) was hit the tough-luck loss after notching the final out of the 6th. In the 7th, the southpaw surrendered back-to-back singles, though Crowther retired the next two batters before an error allowed the inning to continue. Evan Steckmesser was tasked with picking up the final out of the frame in a bases-loaded situation, but consecutive two-run singles saw the Jaguars claim the permanent lead. Crowther was officially responsible for three unearned runs over 1.0 inning of work. Steckmesser was also on the hook for unearned run, while JT Blackwood, who worked the 8th inning, allowed one earned run on two hits in his only inning on the mound.
Offensively, Bryce Fowler and Justin Lebron both finished 2-for-4, the only two men in the Alabama lineup to produce multiple hits. Fowler managed a pair of stolen bases, a walk and a run scored, while Lebron collected a double, a walk and a run scored. Jason Torres was 1-for-4 with one RBI with Luke Vaughn notching a double as part of a 1-for-4 night.
From Head Coach Rob Vaughn
"Just one of those nights where we didn't play well. We met as a team before we left and talked about the mentality, the attitude, the togetherness that I was looking for and tonight, they rang the bell with that. Those guys fought for every pitch, they were as connected as they could be, I thought they attacked tonight as a unit. We just didn't play well and that's the reality. Sometimes you make a mistake and doesn't hurt you, but tonight it hurt us. Credit to South Alabama, those guys cashed it in. I loved our mentality today but hated the execution, but that's my job. My job is to make sure our execution gets better and we have two days of practice before Florida rolls into town. When you're walking through hell like these guys are walking through right now, everything seems to bounce the other way. We can either feel bad for ourselves, point fingers and start to play tight, or we can put our head down and get to work and I believe these guys are going to put their heads down and keep working."
How It Happened
- T2 | Eric Hines led off the inning with a single before Luke Vaughn doubled down the left field line, placing two in scoring position. Brennan Holt then grounded out to second, allowing Hines to score. (1-0, Alabama)
- T2 | Justin Lebron opened the inning with a double, later moving to third after Brady Neal's sacrifice bunt. With the infield in, Jason Torres lined a single into right field to score Lebron (2-0, Alabama)
- B5 | The Jaguars worked a pair of walks to start the 5th, leading to a sacrifice bunt to put two in scoring position. With the bases loaded and two outs, an error at shortstop allowed South Alabama to plate a run. (2-1, Alabama)
- T7 | Fowler and Lebron both singled as the first two men due up, though Neal bounced into a 4-6-3 double play, erasing Lebron and advancing Fowler to third. With Torres at the plate, a wild pitch allowed Fowler to come home. (3-1, Alabama)
- B7 | The Jaguars followed the Tide with consecutive singles of their own to put two on with nobody out. After a pair of outs, an error at third base allowed the inning to proceed. With the bases loaded, the Jags strung together back-to-back two-run singles to claim the lead. (5-3, South Alabama)
- B8 | South Alabama produced a leadoff single, with a sac bunt moving him to second. After the bunt, an RBI single up the middle tallied a late insurance run for the Jaguars. (6-3, South Alabama)
Postgame Notes
- The Crimson Tide was responsible for a season-high five errors on Tuesday, marking Alabama's first five-error contest since April 13, 2017 vs.Texas A&M
- Luke Smyers' four strikeouts mark a new season-high for the freshman
- Luke Vaughn elevated his team-high on-base streak to 18 games
- Bryce Fowler extended his on-base streak to 16 games
- Brady Neal improved his on-base streak to 13 games
- Jason Torres has now reached base in 10 consecutive games
- John Lemm's nine-game hitting streak and 10-game on-base streak were snapped on Tuesday
- Brennan Holt's nine-game on-base streak was ended
- Attendance: 2,608
Up Next
- Alabama will host its first Southeastern Conference series of 2026 when No. 18 Florida heads to Tuscaloosa for a three-game set beginning Friday, March 20
- First pitch between the Crimson Tide and Gators is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT, airing on SEC Network+
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Zach Stevens (2-1)
L: Crowther, Ashton (1-1)
Batting:
2B: Lebron, Justin 1 ; Vaughn, Luke 1
RBI: Torres, Jason 1 ; Holt, Brennan 1
SH: Neal, Brady 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Fowler, Bryce 1 ; Lebron, Justin 1 ; Hines, Eric 1
SB: Fowler, Bryce 2
Batting:
2B: Ethan Melton 1
RBI: Stewart Puckett 2 ; Blake Guerin 2 ; Ethan Melton 1
SH: Mike Young 1 ; Rett Johnson 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Marc Stephens 1 ; Stewart Puckett 2 ; Brady Picarelli 1 ; Rett Johnson 1 ; Ethan Melton 1
SB: Brennon Wright 1
HBP: Blake Guerin 1
