Alabama State baseball drops 11-inning heartbreaker to end season in Tuscaloosa Regional

Alabama State pushed Oklahoma State to the brink in a thrilling 11-inning battle on Saturday at the NCAA tournament’s Tuscaloosa Regional. Despite a resilient comeback effort, the Hornets ultimately fell 8-7, marking the end of their season.

A Difficult Path to Elimination

The Hornets entered Saturday facing an uphill climb following a tough 21-3 loss to Alabama on Friday. Head coach Jose Vazquez remained optimistic, encouraging his squad to bounce back against a Cowboys team that had previously been upset by USC Upstate.

Reflecting on the emotional toll of the tournament, Vazquez noted, "21-3, 3-2, at the end of the day I do feel that a win is a win, a loss is a loss. Those losses that are very close are probably a little bit more emotional. I think right now we understood that we didn’t play good baseball and we just got to be better."

The Hornet Rally

Oklahoma State initially looked poised to run away with the game, building a 6-0 lead by the sixth inning. The Cowboys surged ahead early behind a massive blast from Colin Brueggemann in the fourth, compounded by a pair of unearned runs in the sixth.

Just as the momentum seemed to favor the Cowboys, the Hornets responded with grit. Niquel Jenkins ignited the offense in the bottom of the sixth with a two-run homer. Breydon Devine added a sacrifice fly in the seventh, and the comeback hit full steam in the eighth with an RBI single from Jackson Williams followed by a clutch two-run home run from Cale Clark.

Heartbreak in Extra Innings

The score remained knotted until the 10th, where both teams walked in runs. The stalemate was finally broken in the 11th frame when Oklahoma State's Kollin Ritchie connected for a decisive home run. Alabama State was unable to answer in the bottom half of the inning.

Caleb Sanders was charged with the loss for the Hornets, while Mario Pesca picked up the win for Oklahoma State. The Cowboys move on to Sunday’s early action in Tuscaloosa, continuing their fight for survival in the regional bracket.