Hines, Lebron lift Alabama by South Carolina Upstate


Eric Hines smacked a three-run homer and Justin Lebron added a solo shot, sparking Alabama's 7-5 victory over South Carolina Upstate on Saturday at the Tuscaloosa Regional at Sewell-Thomas Stadium.

Lebron went 3-for-5 with two RBIs, two runs and two stolen bases. Hines' crucial home run came during a four-run third inning that broke a scoreless tie. Jason Torres also had a productive day, going 2-for-3 with an RBI double and two walks. John Lemm contributed two hits for the Crimson Tide (39-19).

Alabama starting pitcher Zane Adams gave up six hits and two runs, neither of which were earned, in six innings. He walked three and struck out five.

Johnny Sweeney hit a two-run homer and went 1-for-4 for the Spartans (34-29. Trey Bentley and Jake Armsey each collected two hits, with Bentley driving in a run.

Alabama raced to a 4-0 lead in the top of the third inning on an RBI double from Torres and the homer by Hines. The Crimson Tide extended their margin to 5-1 in the fourth when Lebron singled home Bryce Fowler. Lebron's solo shot in the sixth made it 7-2.

The Spartans chipped away, scoring on Sweeney's two-run homer in the seventh to cut the deficit to 7-4 and adding another run in the ninth on Bentley's RBI double, but their comeback effort fell short.

Up next: South Carolina Upstate will face Oklahoma State in an elimination game Sunday at 3 p.m. ET. Alabama will play the winner Sunday at 8 p.m. ET.

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