Alabama
27-11
UAB
23-14
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 10 | 6 |
| UAB | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 1 |
No. 11 Baseball Wins 12-6 in Back-and-Forth Contest with UAB
4/14/2026 10:50:00 PM | Baseball
Brady Neal finished with four hits, including three doubles, in the midweek victory
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Alabama baseball (27-11) snapped a brief three-game losing skid at Regions Field on Tuesday, as the Crimson Tide produced a late outpouring of offense in its 12-6 win over UAB (23-14).
Brady Neal led the Tide lineup with a 4-for-5 night, contributing three doubles and one RBI in Tuesday's win. Andrew Purdy managed perhaps the most impactful showing of his young career, finishing 2-for-5 with a home run, a triple, five RBI and a walk. Caleb Barnett, in his first-ever start as a member of the Tide, was responsible for three RBI, highlighted by a bases-clearing double in the 6th. Eric Hines was 2-for-5 with a double, while Justin Lebron homered and provided a sacrifice fly to close his 1-for-3 night.
JT Blackwood toed the rubber for his sixth start of 2026 and gave his dugout a worthy effort. The senior right-hander held the Blazers to three hits and two runs (one earned) across 3.0 innings, walking two while adding a strikeout. Sam Mitchell (1-1) entered in the 5th and played a large role in slowing down a UAB lineup that had scored in four consecutive innings prior to his entrance. Mitchell allowed just one hit and two walks over his scoreless outing, notching two strikeouts en route to his first win this season. Matthew Heiberger struck out one in a perfect 8th before Hagan Banks scattered a hit with two punchouts in an uneventful final inning.
From Head Coach Rob Vaughn
We just kind of found an excuse to win. That's what I told those guys in the middle innings when we were down a run, I told them this about as bad as you could defend a game, but at the end of the day we're down one, so go find an excuse to win anyway. That's what those guys did. We played great defense there down the stretch, but obviously not a pretty start to that one. Sam Mitchell really calmed the storm there, but the story of the night was the young pups. You got a real picture of the future of Alabama baseball and they're playing at a level where they force your hand. Sometimes the future comes a lot sooner than maybe it was planned on in some ways, but you have to credit those guys. (Caleb) Barnett was outstanding, (Andrew) Purdy was outstanding, I thought Brady Neal was incredible tonight, so a great game to finish and I'm proud of the boys for sticking with it.
How It Happened
- T1 | With one out, Justin Lebron lifted a towering solo home run to left, giving the Tide an early lead. (1-0, Alabama)
- B2 | Andrew Hunt opened the inning with a single and reached third after a steal of second and a groundout. Max Price then grounded out to shortstop, driving in Hunt. (1-1)
- B3 | With two outs and the bases clear, Landon Beaver managed an infield single and then advanced to second on a wild pitch. A chopper up the middle by John Paul Head was corralled by Lebron, though as Beaver rounded third, Lebron's throw home reached the backstop, allowing Beaver to score. (2-1, UAB)
- T4 | Brady Neal led off the inning with a double, with Eric Hines following him with an infield single towards third base. With runners on the corners, Jason Torres dropped down a safety squeeze to plate Neal. After Torres, Andrew Purdy connected on a two-run homer to right. (4-2, Alabama)
- B4 | Alex Dupuy singled to right as the leadoff man and eventually touched third after stealing second, with a throwing error on the play advancing him an extra base. Price then drove in Dupuy with a single up the middle. After a walk and a catcher's interference loaded the bases, Wesley Helms plated a run following a double play. With a man at third and two outs, Beaver produced an RBI single up the middle to score Baylor Roberts. (5-4, UAB)
- T5 | Brennan Holt earned a walk to begin the inning and advanced to second after a groundout. An attempted pickoff was thrown into center, pushing Holt to third, with Lebron driving him in with a sacrifice fly. (5-5)
- B5 | Head reached base after a leadoff walk and reached second after Alabama committed an error during a rundown. After a sacrifice bunt and a walk saw runners at the corners with one out, Head scored on a wild pitch. (6-5, UAB)
- T6 | Hines doubled down the left field line to start the frame, with Torres and Purdy both drawing one-out walks. On the first pitch of the at-bat, Caleb Barnett drilled a three-run double into the left-center gap. (8-6, Alabama)
- T7 | Lebron was plunked to open the inning, as a passed ball allowed him to take second. Neal delivered, driving in Lebron with a single through the right side. (9-6, Alabama)
- T9 | Neal doubled for the third time into left-center with one out and took second on a passed ball. Chase Kroberger was then hit by a pitch before Torres earned a walk. With two outs and the bases full, Purdy lined a three-run triple down the right field line to extend the Tide's advantage. (12-6, Alabama)
Postgame Notes
- Alabama started three freshmen on Tuesday in Caleb Barnett, Eric Hines and Andrew Purdy, with the threesome collectively posting a 5-for-13 line with two doubles, one triple, eight RBI, two walks and four runs scored
- Purdy's home run in the 4th stands as the first of his collegiate career
- Hines now owns a seven-game hitting streak dating to March 17, posting a .461 average (12-for-26) with one double, two home runs, four RBI, two walks, two hit-by-pitch and eight runs scored in that span
- Brady Neal is the first Alabama player since Chandler Avant in 2018 to produce three doubles in a single game
- Neal recorded his second four-hit game this season and is responsible for two of Alabama's three four-hit performances in 2026
- Neal extended his on-base streak to 29 games
- Justin Lebron also stretched his hitting streak to seven games, managing a .310 average (9-for-29) with two doubles, one home run, five RBI, two walks and five stolen bases since the streak began
- Lebron's solo home run in the 1st was his first home run since March 22
- Lebron also advanced his on-base streak to 18 games
- Bryce Fowler's 31-game on-base streak was snapped on Tuesday
- Attendance: 2,149
Up Next
- Alabama will travel to Austin to begin a three-game series at No. 2 Texas on April 17
- First pitch between the Crimson Tide and Longhorns is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT, airing on SEC Network+
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Mitchell, Sam (1-1)
L: Christian Helmers (1-2)
Batting:
2B: Neal, Brady 3 ; Hines, Eric 1 ; Barnett, Caleb 1
3B: Purdy, Andrew 1
HR: Lebron, Justin 1 ; Purdy, Andrew 1
RBI: Lebron, Justin 2 ; Neal, Brady 1 ; Torres, Jason 1 ; Purdy, Andrew 5 ; Barnett, Caleb 3
SH: Torres, Jason 1
SF: Lebron, Justin 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Lebron, Justin 2 ; Neal, Brady 2 ; Hines, Eric 2 ; Kroberger, Chase 1 ; Torres, Jason 2 ; Purdy, Andrew 2 ; Holt, Brennan 1
SB: Kroberger, Chase 1
HBP: Lebron, Justin 1 ; Kroberger, Chase 1
Batting:
2B: Landon Beaver 1 ; Brady Waugh 1
RBI: Landon Beaver 1 ; Max Price 2
SH: Brady Waugh 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Landon Beaver 1 ; JP Head 1 ; Andrew Hunt 1 ; Alex Dupuy 1 ; Max Price 1 ; Baylor Roberts 1
SB: Andrew Hunt 1 ; Alex Dupuy 1 ; Max Price 1
CS: Andrew Hunt 1
HBP: Max Price 1
PO: Landon Beaver 1
