Rapid Reaction from Alabama's Win Over USC Upstate

TUSCALOOSA. Ala. - Alabama baseball defeated USC Upstate 7-5 to move to 2-0 in the Tuscaloosa regional, advancing to the championship game on Sunday afternoon. The Crimson Tide will face the winner of Oklahoma State and USC Upstate on Sunday afternoon in the championship game.

Alabama is one win away from making its first Super Regionals since 2023, and it would be the first time the Crimson Tide has hosted the Super Regionals since 2006. With the Tide's victory on Saturday night, here are a couple of takeaways:

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Errors Continue to Cause Concern

I'm not one to be a Negative Nancy following a postseason victory for the Crimson Tide, and it ultimately didn't matter as Alabama defeated USC Upstate. Still, errors remain a concern for Rob Vaughn's team in year three. The Tide committed six errors on Saturday night, and Bryce Fowler was the sole cause of one of the Spartans' 5 runs scored with a throwing error from center field. He tried to fire a laser to Brady Neal from deep center field, and the error saw the ball sail over Neal's outstretched glove and roll around the wall behind home plate, which allowed the Spartans runners to not only tag up, but it also allowed Zenor to score, cutting the Tide's lead to four runs. Again, it's hard to find negatives after the Crimson Tide is one win away from Super Regionals, but if Vaughn and Alabama hope to make a trip to Omaha, they can't allow easy, unearned runs to opposing teams as they did on Saturday night. Alabama's five other errors allowed runners to advance as well, but none were in scoring position.

Bats Stay Hot Despite Weather and Delays

"Weather" delayed the start of Alabama and USC Upstate by over an hour, after the Tide and the Spartans had already warmed up for the night's contest. After an hour of no rain, Alabama and USC Upstate began play. The delay may have caused Alabama to start the night slowly, but the rain in the third inning (that likely could have been almost avoided completely had the game started on time) didn't cool the Tide's offense, with Alabama scoring at least one run in four consecutive frames, including a four-run 3rd inning that featured an Eric Hines 3-run bomb toward the Right Field Ragers. Alabama ended the night with 11 hits, led by Justin Lebron, who drove in 2 RBIs on 3 hits. Alabama's RBI leader was Eric Hines, who drilled his home run to right field for a 3RBI homer.

Alabama's next game will come in the championship of the Tuscaloosa Regional on Sunday, May 31. Alabama will face the winner of Oklahoma State and USC Upstate, who play earlier on Sunday afternoon. The first pitch for Alabama's game tomorrow is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. CT.

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.