Late Homers Give Tide 6-3 Midweek Win Over UAB

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Crimson Tide third baseman Jason Torres broke a 3-3 tie with a solo home run to center field in the ninth inning, and left fielder Kade Snell followed suit with a two-run blast to lifting No. 17 Alabama to a 6-3 win over the UAB Blazers at Regions Field in Birmingham Tuesday night.

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The victory improved the Crimson Tide’s record to 17-1 on the season as Alabama gears up to begin Southeastern Conference play on Friday.

Torres and Snell both finished 2-for-5, while right fielder Bryce Fowler went 3-for-5 with a solo home run and an RBI base hit. All nine Alabama starters recorded at least one hit in the win, while Snell leads the team in multi-hit games, with 11.

Catcher Will Plattner made the midweek start behind the dish for Alabama and made the most of his opportunity by going 3-for-5 with a run scored.

"What a great game for the state of Alabama," Tide head coach Rob Vaughn said. "Two really good teams competing on a great night in Birmingham. I was really proud of the grit and toughness we showed tonight. We were great offensively and just couldn’t cash in with guys in scoring position, but we got it done late. JT Blackwood gave us a great start and the ‘pen did an outstanding job. I’m proud of our guys and the toughness they showed tonight. I’m excited to head to Aggieland to start SEC play.”

While Alabama jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the fifth inning, UAB battled back and rallied with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth and tied the game in the sixth on an RBI single.

Blackwood, a Cullman native, made his fourth start of the season and allowed just one hit and one walk over 3.2 innings, while striking out three.

Reliever Aeden Finateri came on and pitched two scoreless innings, giving up two hits and striking out two before being relieved by Beau Bryans, who earned his first win of the season after recording the final out of the eighth inning.

The Crimson Tide will open SEC play on Friday, March 14, with a three-game series at No. 19 Texas A&M (10-6, 0-0 SEC) in College Station.

The series opener on Friday is scheduled for 6 p.m. and will be broadcast on SEC Network+.

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