BamaCentral Instant Analysis: No. 1 Florida 7, No. 9 Alabama 6

The Crimson Tide dropped a heartbreaking loss to the Gators on Wednesday night in Hoover.

SI Editorial | May 24, 2023

HOOVER, Ala. — Heartbreak for Alabama baseball.

The Crimson Tide (39-18, 16-14 SEC) lost 7-6 to top-seeded Florida in 11 innings on Wednesday night at the Hoover Met.

Alabama was three outs away from advancing — and perhaps clinching the opportunity to host a regional in the NCAA tournament.

But with one swing of the bat, the Crimson Tide went from cheers to tears as BT Riopelle launched a ball into the clear night sky.

"I thought it was a really good ballgame by two really good teams," interim head coach Jason Jackson said. "That's kind of what the postseason play is all about. That's what the SEC tournament is all about. That's what we all expect to see when we come here. It's a tough loss. We took a lead into that last inning, and Alton [Davis II] has been great for us all year. You've got to give them some credit, they had some great at-bats."

"But I thought it was a really good college baseball game, and I thought our guys fought hard, I thought their guys fought hard, and at the end of the day they got the big hit at the end."

Gloves dropped, hats fell — and Alabama now has to regroup quickly. The Crimson Tide will be back on the same field it lost on at approximately 1 p.m. CT against No. 5 seed Auburn on Thursday afternoon.

Watch the video above where BamaCentral's Austin Hannon and Will Miller break down Alabama's gut-wrenching loss to the Gators from Hoover Metropolitan Stadium.

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