Alabama Secures 12th Consecutive Win Over Samford With Tuesday Night Comeback

Alabama’s seventh-inning three-run explosion helps propel the Crimson Tide to a 3-2 win over Samford, making it Alabama’s 12th straight victory over Samford, and its first midseries win of the season. 

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The game began with both teams having trouble scoring, thanks to strong pitching from Alabama’s JT Blackwood and Samford’s Joseph Lee. Neither pitcher allowed a run during their appearance on the mound.

Blackwood had a solid day on the mound, with the Cullman native appearing in six innings, where he didn't allow a single run, scattered two hits, walked two runners, and recorded two strikeouts in the senior right-handed pitcher’s first start of the 2026 season. 

Lee pitched just 3.2 innings, allowing one hit, two walks, and striking out three while keeping Alabama scoreless. The Bulldogs used five more pitchers in their narrow loss to the Crimson Tide.

Alabama had a prime opportunity to score in the top of the fourth inning, loading the bases with two outs after Luke Vaughn and Will Plattner drew walks and Brady Neal was hit by a pitch. Samford then called Trey Sanders from the bullpen to relieve Lee, and Sanders got Peyton Steele to ground out to third, stranding all three runners and ending the threat.

This game remained scoreless until the bottom of the seventh inning, when Austin Morris was called in from the bullpen to relieve Blackwood. Samford drove two runs home thanks to an RBI single to left field from the Bulldogs' left fielder, Luke Boykin, and then another RBI single. This time, up the middle into center field from Samford’s designated hitter, Trey Higgins, who drove home Boykin to make it a 2-0 game going into the eighth inning.

Rob Vaughn’s Crimson Tide responded in the top of the eighth when Plattner’s sacrifice fly to center field drove home designated hitter Andrew Purdy, who subbed in to pinch hit for Vaughn. This run gave the Crimson Tide its first run of the game. On the very next at bat, Alabama’s right fielder knocked a much-needed two-run home run over center field, which was Steele’s first time going yard this season and his second time in his collegiate career. This also handed over the Tide its first lead of the evening, making it a 3-2 game going into the bottom of the eighth. 

In the bottom of the eighth inning, the Crimson Tide called up Hagan Banks from the bullpen to relieve Morris, who gave up two earned runs, three hits, and two wild pitches to go along with his two strikeouts through one inning. Banks came in and went to work, striking out two batters and allowing only one hit while holding the Bulldogs scoreless through the inning. 

The Crimson Tide was able to hang on and pull out its 12th consecutive win over Samford in Alabama’s opening midseries matchup on Tuesday, thanks to Banks. He went on to punch out three batters in the bottom of the ninth inning to secure Alabama’s third win of the season as the redshirt senior from Plainville, Georgia, recorded his first save of the season, allowing two hits and zero runs while striking out five batters throughout two innings. 

Alabama baseball will be back in action tomorrow afternoon at Sewell Thomas Stadium, where the Crimson Tide will face off against Alabama State with the opening pitch scheduled for 4 p.m. CT. 

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