No. 12 Alabama Baseball Drops Series Against No. 1 Tennessee

After taking the opener on Thursday, Alabama took back-to-back defeats against the top-ranked Volunteers to lose their first SEC weekend series of the season.

Feb 18, 2025; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama baseball head coach Rob Vaughn gestures for a timeout during the game with Middle Tennessee State at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. / Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — It may only be weekend number two of the SEC regular season, but the stakes don't get much higher than what they were Saturday afternoon: a rubber-match between two of the top teams in the SEC, both looking to get off to 5-1 starts in conference and win their second straight series against a ranked squad.

However, No. 12 Alabama baseball dropped the rubber game to No. 1 Tennessee, 9-2, at sold out Sewell-Thomas Stadium. It's the first time the Crimson Tide (22-3, 4-2 SEC) lost consecutive games this season.

"You have to tip your cap to them," Alabama associate head coach Jason Jackson said. "Their guys did a great job on the mound and we couldn’t do much offensively. On the other side of the ball, they were just tough to put away."

Right-hander, Bobby Alcock (3-0, 3.60 ERA) made his first start after being named SEC Pitcher of the Week, looking to follow up his seven-inning shutout gem against the Texas A&M Aggies in College Station last Sunday.

He threw the first scoreless opening inning of the series for the Crimson Tide, but Tennessee was, again, able to strike first after a leadoff triple from designated hitter, Dalton Bargo, in the second. He scored on a sacrifice fly. Three straight ensuing walks loaded the bases for the Volunteers, but Alcock got out of the jam with a flyout and strikeout to end the inning with the Tennessee lead being held to one.

However, it helped set the tone for the day, along with two home runs for the Volunteers (22-2, 5-1) in the emotional third. After Tennessee first baseman, Andrew Fischer, drew boos from the home crowd after repeatedly taking long breaks between pitches, he responded by hitting a ball over the visitor’s bullpen in right-center. Head coach Rob Vaughn subsequently voiced his displeasure as well to home plate umpire, Kevin Sweeney over a dropped third strike no-call that would have sat Fischer down.

“It was a foul tip that we didn’t think hit the dirt,” Jackson said. “Our catcher felt like he caught it, so we’re always gonna have their back. I haven’t seen the replay, so I don’t really know exactly what happened. We felt like (William Plattner) was pretty confident.”

Vaughn continued to make his case when visiting the mound during the ensuing at-bat. When the heated Alabama coach was ejected it was met by a climax of roars from the crowd. However, those roars were immediately silenced after Dalton Bargo rocketed a second-straight solo shot on the following at bat to make it 3-0 Tennessee.

Not even the ejection could wake the Crimson Tide bats, as Tennessee right-hander, Tegan Kuhns (2-0, 1.08 ERA) got his sixth start of the season and made it through the Alabama order without allowing a baserunner. The freshman went 5.1 innings with 71 pitches and getting pulled after giving up his first hit.

“He went right at us, and he has electric stuff. There’s no denying that,” Jackson said, “I thought he did a good job of pounding the strike zone, getting ahead, quick innings, and we just could never get much going off him.”

The Volunteers capitalized on his performance adding a run to their lead in the fourth and fifth inning to make it 5-0 at the end of five. In the seventh, the Volunteers added four more thanks mostly to a bases-clearing double to left by Hunter Ensley.

In some rare, good news for the Crimson Tide, Justin Lebron picked up his 50th RBI on the season in the bottom of the eighth to get Alabama on the board. The milestone extends his sizeable lead over the rest of the player in country, but it would not affect the outcome of this one.

In the ninth, Brennen Norton walked and Kade Snell singled. Will Plattner bounced a single up the middle to plate Norton to complete the scoring.

Alabama will be in Huntsville at Toyota Field on Tuesday night for its midweek game against the North Alabama Lions. Game time is set for 6 p.m. CT.

See Also:

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Alabama Baseball Showing It Can Hang With Nation's Elite Through One Key Factor

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No. 12 Alabama Baseball Takes First SEC Loss Against No. 1 Tennessee

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Alabama Baseball Opens No. 1 Tennessee Series With Statement Win