Alabama baseball鈥檚 back was against the wall early on Sunday against Ohio State in the Jacksonville College Baseball Classic.
The Crimson Tide trailed 10-0 in the fourth after the Buckeyes鈥 seven-run smackdown in the top half of the inning. It was Alabama鈥檚 first major roadblock of the season, entering the game undefeated in seven games.
The final cheers and celebratory emotes didn鈥檛 come from Ohio State鈥檚 side, though, it was from Alabama and its players. The team was happily screaming while rushing to the plate to meet first baseman Will Hodo, who just launched a walk-off three-run home run to beat the Buckeyes 12-10 and win the classic.
ROLL TIDE WILLIE. I
鈥 Alabama Baseball (@AlabamaBSB)
The Crimson Tide put together nine runs over the last three innings, including the home run, to remain undefeated. The Buckeyes didn鈥檛 score or record a hit after the fourth.
The rally started immediately after Ohio State鈥檚 seven-run downpour. Alabama shortstop Justin Lebron hit a three-run blast to right center to put Alabama on board and cut the deficit to seven. Lebron, a preseason second-team All-American, finished with a team-high six RBIs in the comeback win.
The scoring halted in the fifth and sixth innings, but resumed in the seventh. Centerfielder Richie Bonomolo Jr. singled to shortstop to score second baseman Brennen Norton, and then Lebron hit his second three-run home run, nearly identical to his first.
D茅j脿 vu! I
鈥 Alabama Baseball (@AlabamaBSB)
The Crimson Tide made it 10-9 in the eighth from leftfielder Kade Snell鈥檚 double down the right field line that scored two.
In the ninth, Alabama ended the scoring exactly how it started it. The Crimson Tide鈥檚 fourth inning consisted of a groundout, two walks and three-run home run. The final inning began with a Lebron groundout and back-to-back walks.
Ohio State turned to righthander Nik Copenhaver to stop the bleeding, but it only worsened. Hodo, the first and only batter Copenhaver faced, blasted Alabama鈥檚 third home run of the afternoon on the fifth pitch of the at bat to right-center 鈥 the same spot as Lebron鈥檚 two homers.
The walk-off win moved the Crimson Tide to 8-0, while Ohio State fell to 1-5.