Alabama baseball wins final home series with two victories over LSU: scores and takeaways

Alabama baseball won its final home series of the regular season by winning two against LSU. Alabama won 8-7 on Friday then lost 6-3 on Saturday to force a Sunday rubber match. The Crimson Tide took the series with a 4-3 win on Sunday.

"All weekend, those were just three really good baseball games," Alabama coach Rob Vaughn said. "A good team was going to lose one of them every time we went out there."

The No. 25 Crimson Tide (32-19, 12-15 SEC) rallied in the last two frames on Friday for a wild victory, winning the game on a walk-off throwing error by LSU (33-20, 10-17 SEC). The Alabama offense struggled in Saturday's loss and couldn't get much going on Sunday, but a strong showing by the defense led to the series-clinching victory.

More: Latest Alabama baseball projections for NCAA tournament: Will Tide host a regional?

More: Alabama baseball loses road series at Mississippi State; takeaways from the weekend

Nick Saban Commemorative Book: Relive Nick Saban's epic Alabama football coaching career with our special book!

Here are some more takeaways from Alabama baseball's series against LSU:

William Hamiter comes up clutch in a wild finish

William Hamiter was called upon to replace Evan Sleight in the lineup last weekend when Sleight was among the Alabama players afflicted by food poisoning. Hamiter put together a pair of solid performances against Mississippi State and was rewarded for his play with a permanent spot in the lineup, a change that Sleight took in stride.

"It's going to sound corny, but this is what makes college baseball such a beautiful thing," Vaughn said. "When I talked to Evan before the game to tell him I was going to start Hammy, he was the first one to say, 'Yep. That's what you should do.' That's the kind of teammate, the kind of captain he is."

Hamiter proved his coach and teammate right on Friday. In the bottom of the ninth, Alabama trailed 7-6 with two outs and the bases loaded. Hamiter hit a swinging bunt that rolled toward the mound. LSU catcher Alex Milazzo attempted to throw Hamiter out at first to end the game, but a throwing error sent the ball into right field. Hamiter was safe, and Alabama scored the two runs it needed to win.

Hamiter was shaken up after colliding with the first baseman on the game-winning play, but he was in good spirits postgame and was back in the lineup on Saturday and Sunday.

Zane Adams has another good start but doesn't get run support

Zane Adams had another solid outing on Saturday, pitching 5 ⅓ innings with six strikeouts and three earned runs on six hits. Adams has established himself as the Saturday starter for the Crimson Tide over the last few weeks and will continue to be relied upon heavily going forward.

The Crimson Tide offense failed to provide run support for Adams and the bullpen on Saturday, recording three runs on just six hits. Alabama was 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position and left 11 runners on base. LSU pitcher Luke Holman, who transferred from Alabama in the offseason, went 5 ⅔ innings against his former team, surrendering two runs on four hits and adding two strikeouts.

The top four of the Alabama lineup (Gage Miller, Ian Petrutz, Justin Lebron, Will Hodo), usually among its biggest strengths, struggled heavily on Saturday. The four combined for one hit on 12 total at-bats.

Ben Hess brings the heat in rubber match

After earning his first SEC win last Sunday with an impressive performance against Mississippi State, Ben Hess was stellar yet again in Alabama's series-clinching win over LSU. He threw 104 pitches in 6 ⅔ innings, a new career-high innings pitched. Hess also matched his season high with 10 strikeouts and only allowed one earned run on three hits and three walks.

"I think, for me, a lot of it is just tempo and being comfortable out there," Hess said. "Obviously, throwing strikes, attacking the zone and getting ahead, that's what I think I've done well the last two weeks."

After starting the season as Alabama's Friday night starter, Hess was moved to Saturday then Sunday after some shaky performances in SEC play, particularly against Georgia and Arkansas. Hess' last two performances, his first two Sunday starts, were his best of the year and should inspire plenty of confidence moving forward.

"It's easy when things go exactly the way you want. That's what a lot of people think success looks like, but that's not success," Vaughn said. "Sustained success is going through the muddy, dirty, hard stuff and coming out the other end because you just keep showing up and working, and that's exactly what Ben has done."

What's next for Alabama baseball?

Alabama has one series remaining on the regular season schedule. The Crimson Tide will travel to Auburn for a rivalry series that starts on Thursday, May 16.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama baseball: LSU scores, takeaways from Tide's last home series