USC Upstate falls to Alabama 7-5, will face elimination game in Tuscaloosa Sunday (VIDEO)

Alabama 7 – USC Upstate 5 Game Summary

• USC Upstate’s ninth-inning rally came up short and Alabama came away with a 7-5 winners’ bracket victory in Tuscaloosa, Saturday.
• The Spartans put the tying runs in scoring position in the ninth inning, but Alabama left hander Matthew Heiberger was able to get out of the jam and preserve the victory. USC Upstate will now have to knock out Oklahoma State and defeat host Alabama twice in order to move on to the Super Regionals.
• Alabama struggled with its defense throughout the game, committing six errors leading to five unearned runs. The Crimson Tide were able to overcome their defensive gaffes by going 6 for 14 with two outs and turning three double plays.
• Southpaw Chris Torres started for Upstate and held Alabama scoreless for the first two innings before turning it over to right hander Wyatt Land. The Tide lineup jumped on Land (L, 1-2) for four runs in the third and another in the fourth to take a 5-1 lead.
• Catcher Tyler Lang drove in the Spartans’ first run with a sacrifice fly to center. Left fielder Preston Lucas cut the lead to 5-2 with another sacrifice fly in the fourth.
• Alabama kept the pressure on, however, plating a run in the fifth on a bases-loaded walk and another in the sixth on a solo homer from Justin Lebron (3-5, 2 RBI) to make it 7-2.
• Brad Benton worked three scoreless frames out of the bullpen to keep the Spartans close.
• USC Upstate went to work chipping away at the deficit. First, with a two-run tape-measure shot from Jacob Sweeney in the seventh and then with an RBI double from Trey Bentley in the ninth to trim the lead to 7-5.
• Sweeney was at third and Bentley at second with the tying runs, but Heiberger (S, 5) was able nail down the win on a flyout from Jake Armsey (2-5).
• The Tide scored six of their seven runs with two outs in the inning and now sit in the catbird’s seat, needing just one more win to advance to the Super Regionals.
• USC Upstate will face Oklahoma State in an elimination game at 3 p.m., Sunday.

⬇️ 7th | UPST 4; ALA 7

JOHNNY SWEEENEY HALF WAY UP THE BERM!#SpartanArmy ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/m42eLqKCWT

— USC Upstate Baseball (@UpstateBSB) May 31, 2026

⬆️ 8th | UPST 4; ALA 7

BIG TIME DOUBLE PLAY INDUCEMENT FROM BRAD BENTON!#SpartanArmy ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/IUkFiYBVUz

— USC Upstate Baseball (@UpstateBSB) May 31, 2026

⬇️ 9th | UPST 5; ALA 7

TREY BENTLEY RBI DOUBLE! GO-AHEAD RUN COMING TO THE PLATE!#SpartanArmy ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/07fP6mX7qd

— USC Upstate Baseball (@UpstateBSB) May 31, 2026

Final Stats