Alabama
Jacksonville State
Brady Neal Slugs Go-Ahead Homer, No. 16 Alabama Tops Jacksonville State 4-3
3/31/2026 11:39:00 PM | Baseball
Neal's solo home run in the 9th broke a 3-3 tie, leading to the Crimson Tide's eighth consecutive win
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - Immediately after Jacksonville State (24-6) leveled the score in the 8th, Brady Neal provided the game-winning swing, launching a solo home run with two outs in the 9th, helping Alabama (23-7) secure a 4-3 win at Rudy Abbott Field at Jim Case Stadium on Tuesday. The Crimson Tide has now eight straight games, the most consecutive victories by Alabama this season.
Neal's lone hit of the night was the go-ahead homer, as the senior finished his night 1-for-4 with a hit-by-pitch. Three of the Tide's four runs were scored via the home run, with John Lemm plating the game's first two runs with a two-run longball in the 2nd. Lemm eventually closed his night with a 1-for-3 line, drawing a walk and scoring two runs. Justin Osterhouse also drove in a run, lining an RBI double in the 5th. The Tide's left fielder was 1-for-2 with a walk and a hit-by-pitch.
JT Blackwood was phenomenal operating as the opener for Alabama, tossing 3.0 shutout innings, retiring nine of the 10 batters he faced. The senior right-hander allowed just one hit while striking out two. Luke Smyers surrendered a solo home run but was largely effective over his 2.0 innings, striking out a game-high three hitters over his seven batters faced. Austin Morris saw an unearned run cross the plate as part of his final line, while Owen Sarna and Connor Lehman retired their lone respective batters.
With the Tide leading 3-2, Evan Steckmesser (1-0) entered from the bullpen in the 8th, inheriting the bases loaded with one out. Upon his entrance, Steckmesser struck out a fellow lefty for the second out, though a four-pitch walk saw the tying run come home. However, the southpaw nabbed the potential go-ahead run at home plate on a delayed steal. In the 9th, Steckmesser worked around a two-out walk, inducing a groundball to seal the Alabama win.
From Head Coach Rob Vaughn
"Just one of those games. Huge swing by Brady (Neal), great job by our pitching staff. I thought we left some stuff on the table, some meat on the bone there early, but we get the big swing from John Lemm there in the second. We loaded the bases and couldn't cash in, had another with second and third with one out and couldn't cash in. Against a team like (Jacksonville State), you have to find a way to push one across, push another one across. You might look up and see in those late innings and see a different score and it's a little more comfortable, but we made some big pitches in some big spots. (Evan) Steckmesser bent but didn't break. A good win on the road and now we head home, head to Norman and get back to work."
How It Happened
- T2 | After Jason Torres singled to lead off the inning, John Lemm connected on a two-run home run to right-center. (2-0, Alabama)
- T5 | Lemm worked a one-out walk before Justin Osterhouse lined a double over the right fielder's glove, with Lemm scoring all the way from first on the play. (3-0, Alabama)
- B5 | Jax State found the scoreboard with a two-out, solo home run. (3-1, Alabama)
- B7 | A one-out, two-base error put a man in scoring position for the Gamecocks. Grayson Ashe then followed the error with an RBI single to left. (3-2, Alabama)
- B8 | The Gamecocks opened the inning with a single, with Greg Lachance stealing second. After a groundout pushed Lachance to third, Caleb Johnson walked and stole second, leading to Cooper Blauser's intentional walk to load the bases. After a strikeout, Ashe worked a two-out walk to force in the tying run. (3-3)
- T9 | With two outs, Brady Neal lifted the game-winning home run to straightaway center. (4-3, Alabama)
Postgame Notes
- Alabama has now won 11 consecutive games over Jacksonville State, a streak that began in 2019
- The Crimson Tide improved to 9-1 in games played against other programs hailing from the state of Alabama
- Bryce Fowler extended his on-base streak to 24 games
- Brady Neal also extended his on-base streak to 21 consecutive games
- Justin Lebron has now reached base in 10 consecutive games
- John Lemm now owns an eight-game on-base streak and a six-game hitting streak
- Lemm is hitting .428 (9-for-21) with one double, two home runs, five RBI, two walk and five runs scored over the course of his six-game hitting streak
- Luke Vaughn's 25-game on-base streak was snapped on Tuesday
- Attendance: 1,852
Up Next
- Alabama will remain on the road, traveling to No. 11 Oklahoma to begin a three-game series starting Thursday, April 2
- First pitch between the Crimson Tide and Sooners is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT, airing on SEC Network+
