TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Vanderbilt lost 5-4 at No. 24 Alabama on Thursday night thanks to a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth.
The Commodores built a three-run lead but the Crimson Tide pulled even with a three-run shot in the sixth before John Lemm hit the game-winner in the ninth.
Tommy Goodin opened the scoring in the top of the third with a no-doubt, two-run blast to right field. Goodin has homered in consecutive games and is up to 11 on the season.
Alabama answered with a triple and a run-scoring groundout in the home half of the third to cut Vandy’s lead to 2-1.
Colin Barczi pushed the advantage back to two runs with a solo shot to center in the top of the fourth, his ninth long ball of the year.
Alabama put runners on the corners with nobody out in the bottom of the fifth, but Brodie Johnston and Connor Fennell executed the hidden ball trick to catch the runner on third stepping off the bag for the inning’s first out. Fennell escaped the jam with a strikeout and a line out.
Fennell held Alabama to two runs on five hits over 5.1 innings with seven strikeouts.
Rustan Rigdon hit Vanderbilt’s third homer of the game in the top of the sixth as the Dores grabbed a three-run lead.
Alabama’s Eric Hines tied the game at 4-4 in the bottom of the sixth with a three-run home run.
Lemm led off the bottom of the ninth and hit his seventh homer, a walk-off to center field.
Due to inclement weather expected Friday, Vanderbilt and Alabama will meet at 12:30 p.m. for Game 2 of the series.
