Alabama
39-19
USC Upstate
34-29
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 11 | 6 |
| USC Upstate | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 0 |
No. 7 Alabama Baseball Wins 7-5 Over USC Upstate, Advances to Regional Final on Sunday
5/31/2026 12:45:00 AM | Baseball
The Crimson Tide heads to its first Regional Final since 2023
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – No. 7 national seed Alabama baseball (39-19) secured its position in the final round of the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional, as the Crimson Tide held off USC Upstate (34-29) to win 7-5 at Sewell-Thomas Stadium on Saturday night. The win places Alabama one win away from advancing to its first Super Regional since 2023.
Justin Lebron again showcased his stardom, going 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBI, as his longball was his second in as many postseason contests. Lebron also stole two bases on Saturday to raise his season total to 40 steals. Eric Hines' three-run home run capped a four-run 3rd for the Tide, as the freshman finished 1-for-5. Jason Torres produced a 2-for-5 evening, adding a double and an RBI, while John Lemm managed two hits in four at-bats. Bryce Fowler tripled for the second consecutive night, finishing 2-for-5.
Zane Adams (7-4) gave Alabama all that it needed, tossing 6.0 strong innings while allowing just two unearned runs to go with six hits, three walks and five strikeouts. Matthew Heiberger tallied the three-inning save, his fifth save of the campaign, scattering four hits and a walk while allowing three unearned runs. Much to its benefit, the Crimson Tide pitching staff matched its season high by inducing three double plays.
From Head Coach Rob Vaughn
"Yeah, great win. That was just a tough, gritty win. I said this in the interview during the game, a Kane Sweeney team is going to be tough as nails, and those guys were. That was a tough group. I knew at 7-2 they weren't going away, and they just kept coming. But just got to credit our guys. I thought Zane (Adams) did an unbelievable job at the start of the game, just continuing to minimize, and had some times that could have got messy and just made pitches in huge spots. It's what he's done for three years, right? We all love it when it's 15 punchouts and there's nobody on base, but the reality is I thought that those guys ran off a good plan, just had tough at-bats. And when he needed to, he made huge, huge pitches. And then obviously when (Justin Lebron) gets going, it gets pretty fun. So what a special game by them. That's what it is, big time players, that's what they do in big games, they show up and they do what they did today. So now the big thing for us, the job's not done. You don't get any kind of trophy for being 2-0 to start the Regional and making a Regional championship game, like that's not what it's about. This team wants to do bigger and better things. So, obviously we're going to try to rest up, recover, and get ready for tomorrow."
How It Happened
- T3 | Justin Lebron poked a one-out single to center before swiping second base. With two outs, Jason Torres lined an RBI double down the left field line score Lebron. After John Lemm was hit by a pitch, Eric Hines sent a three-run home run to right. (4-0, Alabama)
- B3 | Henry Zenor laced a one-out double into the left-center gap and took third one batter later after an error at third base. The next batter, Tyler Land, drove in Zenor with a sacrifice fly to center. (4-1, Alabama)
- T4 | With two outs, Bryce Fowler tripled off the wall in left-center, with Lebron driving him in with a single to left. (5-1, Alabama)
- B4 | Trey Bentley opened the frame with a single to right and took second on a failed pickoff attempt. After Jake Armsey produced a single of his own to right field to place runners on the corners, Preston Lucas drove in Bentley with a sacrifice fly to left. (5-2, Alabama)
- T5 | Jason Torres began the inning with a walk, with John Lemm bouncing a single through the right side to place runners on the corners with nobody out. After a strikeout, Brennan Holt was hit by a pitch, loading the bases. Following Luke Vaughn's lineout to shortstop, Peyton Steele worked a walk, forcing in Torres. (6-2, Alabama)
- T6 | Lebron led off the frame with a towering solo homer to left. (7-2, Alabama)
- B7 | Zenor reached base following a leadoff error, with Maloy Heaghney reaching base with a walk. With two on, Lang bounced into a double play, placing Zenor at third with two outs. The next batter Johnny Sweeney then lined a two-run home run to right. (7-4, Alabama)
- B9 | With one out, Heaghney singled to center and advanced to second as the result of a groundout. With two outs, Sweeney reached first following an error, with Trey Bentley driving in Heaghney with a double down the left field line. However, with the go-ahead run at the plate, Matthew Heiberger induced a flyout to center to end the ballgame. (7-5, Alabama)
Postgame Notes
- With the win, Alabama secured its first Regional Final appearance since 2023, which also took place in the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional
- Justin Lebron stole his 39th and 40th bases of the season on Saturday, becoming just the fourth player in program history to reach the 40-steal plateau, joining G.W. Keller (42, 1999), Ted Williams (44, 1985) and David Fowke (50, 1981)
- Lebron now owns 67 career stolen bases, placing him third all-time in Alabama history. He sits one steal shy of tying David Fowke (1980-81) for second all-time, who produced 68 stolen bases
- Lebron also stretched his on-base streak to 12 consecutive games
- Bryce Fowler has now reached base in nine straight games
- Brennan Holt improved his on-base streak to seven games
- Attendance: 4,089
Up Next
- Alabama will face the winner of the contest between Oklahoma State and USC Upstate scheduled for 2 p.m. CT on Sunday, May 30
- The Crimson Tide will then aim to secure its position as a Super Regional host at 7 p.m. CT, with the game airing on ESPN+
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Adams, Zane (7-4)
L: Wyatt Land (1-2)
S: Heiberger, Matthew (5)
Batting:
2B: Torres, Jason 1
3B: Fowler, Bryce 1
HR: Lebron, Justin 1 ; Hines, Eric 1
RBI: Lebron, Justin 2 ; Torres, Jason 1 ; Hines, Eric 3 ; Steele, Peyton 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Fowler, Bryce 1 ; Lebron, Justin 2 ; Torres, Jason 2 ; Lemm, John 1 ; Hines, Eric 1
SB: Lebron, Justin 2
HBP: Neal, Brady 1 ; Lemm, John 1 ; Holt, Brennan 1 ; Vaughn, Luke 1
Batting:
2B: Henry Zenor 1 ; Trey Bentley 1
HR: Johnny Sweeney 1
RBI: Tyler Lang 1 ; Johnny Sweeney 2 ; Trey Bentley 1 ; Preston Lucas 1
SF: Tyler Lang 1 ; Preston Lucas 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Henry Zenor 2 ; Maloy Heaghney 1 ; Johnny Sweeney 1 ; Trey Bentley 1
