Alabama baseball began its fall exhibition season with a 13-2 win over Lipscomb in a 12-inning game at Sewell-Thomas Stadium on Friday. The Crimson Tide recorded eight extra-base hits, and six Alabama pitchers combined to prevent Lipscomb from scoring for most of the game.
Returning players made significant contributions. Justin Lebron reached base three times, including hitting a two-run home run, drawing a walk, and being hit by a pitch. Bryce Fowler went 1-for-3 with a double, a walk, and one RBI. Peyton Steele added a double, a sacrifice fly, and two RBIs in his 1-for-3 performance. Jason Torres was 2-for-3 with two singles and scored a run. Starting pitcher Zane Adams struck out four batters over two innings. Relievers JT Blackwood, Zach Kittrell, Connor Lehman, and Austin Morris combined for six shutout innings, allowing only four hits.
Newcomers also had strong performances. Justin Osterhouse hit a two-run home run and contributed a sacrifice fly in his 1-for-3 night. Sam Christiansen reached base in all three plate appearances with two doubles, an RBI, and a walk. John Lemm drove in two runs with a double. Evan Taylor finished 1-for-3 with a double and a walk. On the mound, Myles Upchurch pitched two perfect innings with five strikeouts, while Kaden Humphrey struck out four over two scoreless innings.
Head coach Rob Vaughn commented on the team’s performance: “It was a great night of baseball here in Tuscaloosa. Our pitchers were outstanding. Through a 12-inning scrimmage, we punched 16 or 17 guys out and only put two on for free. We swung the bat extremely well. We hit a couple homers, really controlled the strike zone and had a couple big two-out RBI knocks. The brand of baseball we played tonight was the most important point of emphasis for me, and I thought we rang the bell. We have to get a lot better between now and February, but it was a good barometer of where we’re at this point in the fall. A couple days off, a good week of practice and then off to Clemson.”
Alabama will conclude its fall exhibition schedule on Saturday, October 25, with a game at Clemson scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. CT.
