Alabama
Eleven-Run Third Inning Propels Alabama Baseball to Midweek Win Over Samford
TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— The three runs the No. 23 Alabama baseball team scored in the fifth inning would not have been enough to defeat Samford on Tuesday night. Every other home half-inning apart from that fifth was scoreless, except the third. In the third inning, the Crimson Tide (26-15, 7-11 SEC) scored 11 runs.
The Bulldogs (26-14, 10-2 SoCon) fell to the home team at Sewell-Thomas Stadium by a 14-5 margin, bolstered largely by that third-inning offensive onslaught. The first time these two teams met, Samford drew to within one in the ninth inning, but could not muster such a rally in the rematch.
“That’s a really good team,” Alabama head coach Rob Vaughn said. “All in all, just a really good team win… I didn’t think these guys flinched.” Vaughn’s team had dropped its past two midweeks. The second of those prompted him to say the Crimson Tide simply hadn’t played well enough.
Samford took it to Crimson Tide started Kade Snell in the top of the second inning, plating four runs off him with back-to-back RBI doubles and a two-run home run by leadoff man Garrett Staton. Vaughn attributed Snell’s issues to not finishing at-bats. When Alabama third baseman Gage Miller stepped into the batter’s box to lead off the home third, his squad faced a 4-0 deficit.
Three two-run home runs, all to left field, gave Alabama a 6-4 lead. Right fielder Evan Sleight hit the one which broke the tie for the last time. “When it gets to this time of the year, you really gotta just lock in with the approach,” Sleight said. “That was a great inning for us, and that’s a glimpse into what we can do as a lineup.”
Freshman shortstop Justin Lebron hit the first of the three home runs, initially slashing the deficit in half. He went 3-5 for the evening. “I was just seeing the ball really well today, and I was just trying to do my job in certain cases,” he said.
“I tell him [Lebron all the time, I’m so proud of him,” Sleight said. “As a freshman, especially in the SEC, it’s extremely challenging… The head on his shoulders is something I’ve actually never seen before.” Lebron said leadership from players like Sleight has allowed him to settle in and continue to learn.
The other home run in the inning belonged to TJ McCants, bringing his season total to 13 and further increasing the single-season career best he set once he entered double digits. His opposite-field blast tied the game. The wheels came off from there for Samford, which used three pitchers in the inning and eight on the night. Alex Gaeto, who gave up the home run to Sleight, was tagged with the loss.
The home runs did not encompass all the third-inning damage. Lebron also had a double for two runs batted in, as did first baseman Will Hodo, who himself scored the last run of the inning on a passed ball. Samford scored one more run in the top of the fifth and Alabama responded with three.
As for the Crimson Tide pitching, the coaching staff took a by-committee approach after Snell’s exit, with freshman reliever Austin Morris earning the win. “A-Mo was great tonight,” Vaughn said. “Same thing with Zane Probst… Aidan Moza was outstanding.. and then Braylon [Myers] was great at the end.” Freshman Ariston Veasey made his Alabama debut and was lifted after issuing back-to-back walks, but Vaughn was happy he had a chance to get his feet wet. He said some of those players will be relied on to get outs during the weekend’s SEC series against Ole Miss.
“That’s part of what makes college baseball awesome,” Vaughn said of facing a challenge like playing Ole Miss on the road. He plans on reminding his players not to allow those hostile crowds to make them emotional in negative ways. “When you get emotional, you get outside of yourself,” Vaughn said. “At the end of the day, that’s what makes college baseball the greatest thing ever. We get to go on the road in front of two great crowds, and two really good teams [Ole Miss and Mississippi State] these next two weekends. The Ole Miss series runs from Thursday to Saturday.
Vaughn provided an update on starting pitcher Ben Hess, who took a comebacker off his lower leg against Texas A&M and left the game. He will start Friday in Oxford, Miss. “It was more scary than anything,” said Vaughn. He’s been pleased with his players’ energy on short turnarounds, as they have now had multiple scheduled Thursday-Saturday weekends.
“SEC games aren’t hard to get up for,” Vaughn said. As an example of the energy he likes to see, he used injured starter Riley Quick, likening himself to Quick’s get-back coach if the two were on a football field. “That dude is right next to me,” he said. “That permeates down… They’re into every single pitch, and that matters.” The turning point, he said, was after the Kentucky series.
There are not a lot of home games left (three, to be exact). The Crimson Tide faces a major test in Mississippi over the course of the next couple of weekends. It got the result it wanted on Tuesday night, overcoming an area (midweeks) that had become problematic. However, even in April, the SEC schedule is far from over. A cohesive effort is what’s needed to win, and Alabama brought that on Tuesday.
There are few Cinderella stories remaining in the AHSAA 2025 high school football playoffs.
Class 5A Scottsboro is the only unranked team remaining in the race to get to Birmingham’s Protective Stadium next week. The Wildcats host Moody tonight.
Semifinal predictions
Mobile on deck for Super 7
Black Friday features 13 unbeaten teams and three rematches as the field narrows to the final 14 teams. Thompson and Opelika are already in the finals in Class 7A. Who joins them tonight in the other classes?
Check back frequently for highlights from across the state. At the end of the night, the complete scorelist and Super 7 pairings will be available.
Here we go. …
8:38 PM, Devils doing it: Maplesville pushes its lead over Leroy to 24-6 with 10:05 to play in the third period on a 3-yard Nehemiah McCray TD run. The Red Devils and Bears are both 13-0 in 1A this season. … Muscle Shoals’ kicker Jorge Garcia kicked a 45-yard field goal with 8:46 left in the third period to cut Clay-Chalkville’s lead to 22-13. … Jackson leads St. Michael 23-15 at the half.
8:31 PM, All for naught: Tucker Tomlinson jumped on a fumbled punt return to put St. Michael in business at Jackson’s 14-yard line, but the Aggies held when the Cardinals go for it on fourth-and-10. Jackson leads 23-15 with 2:21 left in the half. … Mars Hill leads Piedmont 35-16 at the half. … Bayside leads Southside-Selma 21-8 with 8:37 left in the half. … From Opelika-Auburn News, Lanett has forced 4 turnovers and allowed Reeltown 86 yards in the first half. Lanett is up 21-0. … Addison cuts Wadley’s lead to 14-8 in the third period.
8:14 PM, No. 1 narrows No. 2’s lead: St. Michael’s Noah Moss rambled in for a short TD and Gunner Rivers hit Braedyn Walton for a 2-point PAT to trim Jackson’s lead to 23-15 with 8 minutes left in the first half. … Saraland has lost 3 fumbles, but still leads Benjamin Russell 14-7 at the half.
8:05 PM, Saraland scramble: The second-ranked Class 6A Spartans lead No. 4 Benjamin Russell 14-7 on a 10-yard scramble by Jamison Roberts. The defense set up the score with an INT. … Clay-Chalkville goes in at halftime up 22-10 over Muscle Shoals thanks to a TD pass with 13 seconds remaining. … Coosa Christian is creeping up, now trailing Pisgah 22-20. … Maplesville leads Leroy 17-6 at the half. … Plainview’s Brody Hodges knots the score with Anniston at 14 on a 1-yard run with 3:08 left in the half at Rainsville. … Moody leads Scottsboro 21-10 with 3:28 left in the half as Aidden White hauls in a long TD pass.
7:55 PM, Frye and more Frye: Clay-Chalkville quarterback Aaron Frye puts the visitors up 15-10 over Muscle Shoals with 5:40 left in the half. Frye scored on a draw dead up the middle from 5 yards out for the TD and then walked in around left end for the 2-point conversion after a huge clear out block. … Pisgah leads Coosa Christian 22-13 and Lanett is up 14-0 over Reeltown. … Jackson leads St. Michael 23-7 with 52 seconds left in the first quarter. … Piedmont scores and makes a 2-point PAT, but trails Mars Hill Bible 35-16 with 2:27 left in the half. … Maplesville extends its lead over Leroy to 17-6 on a 9-yard run by Nehemiah McCray with 37 seconds left in the half.
7:47 PM, Back and forth in 1A: No. 2 Maplesville is back on top over No. 3 Leroy 10-6 after a 3-yard run by Jedaiah Works with 3:47 left before the half. … Moody leads Scottsboro 14-7 at the end of the first period. … Wadley has increased its lead over Addison to 14-0 in the second quarter. … Anniston leads Plainview 14-7 with 10:11 left in the half on Damon Pope’s 9-yard run.
7:42 PM, Stalemate, so far: No. 3 Vigor and No. 1 Williamson are tied at 14 with 10:59 left in the half in one 5A semifinal. Sammy Dunn hit Zy Wilson for a 38-yard TD pass and Dylan Jackson on an 18-yarder for the Wolves. Williamson’s Jamarcus Lett scored on a 1-yard run, Todrick Withers had a 3-yard scoring run and an Ellis McGaskin 2-point run tied it up. … Leroy leads Maplesville 6-4 with 6:09 left in the first half after a Jace Sellers 16-yard pass to Tanner Rivers.
7:33 PM, Trojans horse: Quarterback Kade Clemmons raced 43 yards around the left side to put Muscle Shoals up 10-7 over Clay-Chalkville with 1:43 left in the first period. … Anniston takes an 8-7 lead over Plainview on a 6-yard run by Jamorris Young and a 2-point conversion pass from Damon Pope to Kaleb Moore with 5:44 left in the first. … Wadley leads Addison 8-0 after one period. … Mars Hill is rolling over Piedmont at 21-0 in the first quarter.
7:28 PM, Points and more points: Landon Duckworth hit Red Chapman with a 48-yard touchdown pass and EJ Crowell ran for a 2-point conversion to give Jackson an 8-0 lead over St. Michael. … Moody’s Jake Lowery throws to Aubrey Walker for an 18-yard score to tie the game with Scottsboro at 7 with 6:54 left in the first quarter. … Noah Cain runs 4 yards for a Bayside Academy TD with 4:22 left in the first to put the Admirals up 13-0 over Southside-Selma. … Lanett leads Reeltown 7-0 and Pisgah is up 14-0 over Coosa Christian.
7:22 PM, Safety first. And second: Maplesville leads Leroy 4-0 at the end of the first quarter after a punt snap sailed out of the end zone and then the swarming Red Devils tackled a Leroy receiver in the end zone. … Colton Harding finds Conner Vaden for a 40-yard touchdown to put Scottsboro up 7-0 over Moody with 9:58 left in the first quarter. … Jorge Garcia booted a 25-yard field goal to narrow Clay-Chalkville’s lead over Muscle Shoals to 7-3 with 6:44 left in the first. The Cougars stiffened after Jashad Samples returned Clay-Chalkville’s kickoff after its TD 75 yards.
7:11 PM, Plainview, Clay-Chalkville on the board: Owen Hope races 55 yards to put 4A No. 5 Plainview up 7-0 over No. 4 Anniston in Rainsville. In Muscle Shoals, Clay-Chalkville took the opening kickoff and worked its way to the end zone with 8:50 left in the first period. Aaron Frye hit Josh Woods for an 8-yard TD on third-and-goal from the 8-yard line. It’s 7-0, Cougars over the Trojans.
6 PM, Moving on up: Auburn commit Jaquez Wilkes continues to move up in the Best in Bama, AL.com’s list of the top recruits in the state regardless of classification. Alabama commit EJ Crowell is still No. 1 entering tonight’s game at St. Michael. See who else made a move this week on AL.com.
5 PM, Breaking down the finals: 13 unbeaten teams, 3 rematches and 1 unranked Cinderella story. Get a breakdown of all 12 state semifinal games on AL.com before they start.
AHSAA SEMIFINALS
CLASS 6A
Benjamin Russell (12-1) at Saraland (12-0)
Clay-Chalkville (13-0) at Muscle Shoals (12-0)
CLASS 5A
Vigor (11-2) at Williamson (13-0)
Moody (11-2) at Scottsboro (9-4)
CLASS 4A
Jackson (11-2) at St. Michael (13-0)
Anniston (13-0) at Plainview (13-0)
CLASS 3A
Southside-Selma (13-0) at Bayside Academy (12-1)
Piedmont (13-0) at Mars Hill Bible (13-0)
CLASS 2A
Reeltown (10-3) at Lanett (11-2)
Coosa Christian (11-2) at Pisgah (11-2)
CLASS 1A
Leroy (13-0) at Maplesville (13-0)
Wadley (12-0) at Addison (12-1)
This post will be updated
Iron Bowl 2025 is here, as SEC title and playoff hopeful Alabama hits the road looking to avoid a third loss against rival Auburn, hoping to simply become bowl eligible.
Alabama has never been ranked in the top-ten and lost on the road against an unranked Auburn team, and this time around the Tide have a shot at reaching the SEC Championship Game.
Auburn has history on its side in a way, losing by a combined five points in their last two home games against the Crimson Tide, whose playoff hopes are considerably shakier now with two losses.
Looking ahead to this week’s matchup, let’s check out the latest college football predictions from the SP+ computer prediction model.
The model simulates every NCAA college football game and uses key analytics from both teams and picks winners based on a projected scoring margin per game.
The model predictably likes the Crimson Tide over the Tigers, but in a very close game.
SP+ predicts that Alabama will defeat Auburn by a projected score of 27 to 21 and will win the game by an expected margin of 6.0 points in the process.
The model gives the Crimson Tide a solid 65 percent chance against the Tigers outright.
SP+ is a “tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of college football efficiency” that attempts to predict game outcomes by measuring “the most sustainable and predictable aspects of football.”
How good is it this season? So far, the SP+ college football prediction model is 349-336 against the spread with a 50.9 win percentage. Last week, it was 29-31 (48.3%) in its picks against the spread.
The betting markets also favor the Crimson Tide, but by less than a touchdown on the road.
Alabama is a 5.5 point favorite against Auburn, according to the latest game lines posted to FanDuel Sportsbook.
FanDuel lists the total at 46.5 points for the matchup, and set the moneyline odds for Alabama at -220 and for Auburn at +184 to win outright.
Ty Simpson has been the backbone of an efficient Alabama aerial attack, but has seen his efficiency slip in recent weeks heading into what could be an intense road environment.
Auburn does not have the same skill at quarterback, but have proven successful at running the football, albeit now into the teeth of a much improved Alabama run defense.
College Football HQ predicts: Alabama wins, and covers.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, please call 1-800-GAMBLER.
More college football from SI: Top 25 Rankings | Schedule | Teams
Follow College Football HQ: Bookmark | Rankings | Picks
Thompson and Opelika are already in next week’s Super 7 championships at Birmingham’s Protective Stadium.
The other 12 finalists will be decided Friday night in the Class 1A-6A semifinals.
Breaking down the semifinals
Round 4 news, notes, schedule
Thirteen teams are still undefeated heading into Round 4. The most surprising semifinalist is Scottsboro in Class 5A. The Wildcats are the only unranked team remaining. They host Moody with a chance to reach the finals.
Here is how the AL.com experts pick this week’s semifinal games:
CLASS 6A
Benjamin Russell (12-1) at Saraland (12-0)
Ben Thomas: Saraland 35-28
Dennis Victory: Saraland 42-28
Randy Kennedy: Saraland 35-33
John Vella: Saraland 36-24
Gerhard Mathangani: Saraland 31-28
Simone Eli: Saraland 34-20
Thomas Ashworth: Saraland 41-39
Clay-Chalkville (13-0) at Muscle Shoals (12-0)
Ben Thomas: Clay-Chalkville 21-14
Dennis Victory: Clay-Chalkville 31-30
Randy Kennedy: Clay-Chalkville 17-14
John Vella: Clay-Chalkville 32-30
Gerhard Mathangani: Clay-Chalkville 35-28
Simone Eli: Clay-Chalkville 27-17
Thomas Ashworth: Muscle Shoals 24-23
CLASS 5A
Vigor (11-2) at Williamson (13-0)
Ben Thomas: Williamson 20-12
Dennis Victory: Williamson 19-18
Randy Kennedy: Williamson 22-21
John Vella: Williamson 27-18
Gerhard Mathangani: Williamson 24-23
Simone Eli: Vigor 23-17
Thomas Ashworth: Vigor 24-23
Moody (11-2) at Scottsboro (9-4)
Ben Thomas: Moody 42-21
Dennis Victory: Moody 38-21
Randy Kennedy: Moody 41-24
John Vella: Moody 31-28
Gerhard Mathangani: Moody 38-31
Simone Eli: Moody 30-16
Thomas Ashworth: Moody 37-28
CLASS 4A
Jackson (11-2) at St. Michael (13-0)
Ben Thomas: Jackson 41-34
Dennis Victory: Jackson 51-50
Randy Kennedy: Jackson 43-42
John Vella: Jackson 40-33
Gerhard Mathangani: St. Michael 28-27
Simone Eli: St. Michael 38-35
Thomas Ashworth: Jackson 38-37
Anniston (13-0) at Plainview (13-0)
Ben Thomas: Anniston 28-17
Dennis Victory: Anniston 22-21
Randy Kennedy: Anniston 30-20
John Vella: Plainview 24-16
Gerhard Mathangani: Plainview 27-24
Simone Eli: Anniston 28-20
Thomas Ashworth: Anniston 34-23
CLASS 3A
Southside-Selma (13-0) at Bayside Academy (12-1)
Ben Thomas: Bayside Academy 31-23
Dennis Victory: Bayside Academy 24-22
Randy Kennedy: Bayside Academy 31-27
John Vella: Bayside Academy 30-28
Gerhard Mathangani: Bayside Academy 21-17
Simone Eli: Bayside Academy 24-23
Thomas Ashworth: Bayside Academy 34-31
Piedmont (13-0) at Mars Hill (13-0)
Ben Thomas: Mars Hill 38-30
Dennis Victory: Mars Hill 28-21
Randy Kennedy: Mars Hill 34-33
John Vella: Mars Hill 36-32
Gerhard Mathangani: Mars Hill 28-27
Simone Eli: Mars Hill 31-28
Thomas Ashworth: Mars Hill 37-35
CLASS 2A
Reeltown (10-3) at Lanett (11-2)
Ben Thomas: Reeltown 21-16
Dennis Victory: Reeltown 28-27
Randy Kennedy: Reeltown 20-19
John Vella: Reeltown 27-21
Gerhard Mathangani: Lanett 21-18
Simone Eli: Reeltown 34-27
Thomas Ashworth: Reeltown 31-27
Coosa Christian (11-2) at Pisgah (11-2)
Ben Thomas: Coosa Christian 33-17
Dennis Victory: Coosa Christian 35-28
Randy Kennedy: Coosa Christian 37-30
John Vella: Coosa Christian 39-28
Gerhard Mathangani: Coosa Christian 27-24
Simone Eli: Coosa Christian 42-21
Thomas Ashworth: Coosa Christian 20-16
CLASS 1A
Leroy (13-0) at Maplesville (13-0)
Ben Thomas: Maplesville 35-27
Dennis Victory: Maplesville 28-14
Randy Kennedy: Maplesville 20-10
John Vella: Maplesville 35-24
Gerhard Mathangani: Maplesville 14-7
Simone Eli: Maplesville 21-14
Thomas Ashworth: Maplesville 24-6
Wadley (12-0) at Addison (12-1)
Ben Thomas: Wadley 41-28
Dennis Victory: Wadley 38-28
Randy Kennedy: Wadley 35-15
John Vella: Wadley 45-30
Gerhard Mathangani: Wadley 21-18
Simone Eli: Wadley 38-17
Thomas Ashworth: Wadley 38-24
STANDINGS
Last week, overall
Ben Thomas 16-4, 212-68
Dennis Victory 15-5, 211-69
Randy Kennedy 14-6, 210-70
John Vella 15-5, 207-73
Gerhard Mathangani 13-7, 202-78
Simone Eli 16-4, 200-80
Thomas Ashworth 17-3, 198-82
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