The start of Alabama baseball’s 2025 NCAA Baseball Tournament did not go as planned. The first three batters that Miami sent to the plate walked, singled and hit a home run as Alabama quickly went down 3-0 in the first inning. Alabama was unable to recover, falling 5-3 to Miami in the first game of the Hattiesburg regional.
Friday’s loss now puts Alabama in a tough situation. The Crimson Tide are on the verge of elimination, having to win four games over the next three days to advance to the NCAA Super Regionals. A win on Saturday would put Alabama in a situation where they would have to win two games on Sunday to force a regional finale on Monday.
The Crimson Tide sent ace Riley Quick to the mound on Friday, but he did not have one of his best performances. After giving up three runs in the first, Quick settled down, but the damage was already done. Quick finished the afternoon by surrendering all five of Miami’s runs on eight hits over six innings pitched. Matthew Heiberger came in relief and pitched three innings of shutout ball, allowing zero hits.
Alabama’s only offense came in the fourth inning. The Crimson Tide plated three runs on a Brady Neal RBI single and a Brennen Norton two-run double. Crimson Tide shortstop Justin Lebron finished the afternoon 2-for-4 with a double.
Alabama will face the loser of Southern Mississippi and Columbia Saturday at 2 p.m. in an elimination game.
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.
