HOOVER, Ala. — After experiencing heartbreak in Hoover on Wednesday night, Alabama bounced back Thursday with a 7-4 win over Auburn to stay alive in the SEC Tournament. The victory allowed the Crimson Tide to reach the 40-win mark for the first time since 2010 and greatly improved its odds of hosting a regional in next week’s NCAA Tournament.

"It's a lot of fun," said Alabama first baseman Drew Williamson, who is in his fifth year with the program. "You just trust the process, and you grow in the game. This team has just kind of been able to grow together and develop such a tight bond. To get to finally see the results on the field is nice, for sure."

Alabama (40-18) is now 3-1 against Auburn (34-20-1) this season after taking two of three games from the Tigers in Tuscaloosa last month. With Thursday’s win, the No. 9 seed Crimson Tide will play Friday against the winner of Thursday night’s matchup between top-seeded Florida and No. 4 seed Vanderbilt.

Here are a few takeaways from Thursday’s win over Auburn.

After squandering a three-run lead in the 11th inning during a 7-6 loss to Florida on Wednesday night, Alabama again struggled to close out the game Thursday.

The Crimson Tide entered the bottom of the ninth leading Auburn 7-3 but allowed the Tigers to bring the tying run to the plate after reliever Riley Quick failed to retire three of the first four batters in the inning.

Auburn cut the lead to 7-4 and placed runners on first and second with one out for Justin Kirby before Alabama interim coach Jason Jackson called in Hunter Hoopes out of the bullpen to stop the threat. The graduate right-hander answered the call, striking out Justin Kirby before getting Cooper McMurray to pop out to short to end the game.

"Last night we had to go through the middle of Florida's order, and those guys did great. They had some great at-bats, and we weren't able to close it out," Jackson said. "Auburn has a great middle of the order, too. ... I just told Hunter, 'Your job is to get the next two guys out. Just get the next two guys out. He did a good job of stepping in there."

After delivering a three-run double in the eleventh inning of Alabama’s loss to Florida on Wednesday night, Tommy Seidl wasted no time putting the Crimson Tide on the board first against Auburn. The left fielder hammered the second pitch he saw over the wall in left-center field to put Alabama up 1-0.

With the game tied at 1-1 in the bottom of the third, Seidl used his speed to help put the Tide back on top. He started the inning by hustling to second for a double after Auburn second baseman Brody Wortham lost the ball in the air on a blooper to right.

Later in the inning, Seidl beat a throw to the plate on a sacrifice fly to right field from Williamson to put Alabama back up 2-1. The play was reviewed, but replay confirmed he slid in safely at home. Seidl’s final contribution came in the bottom of the fourth when he lined an RBI single to left to extend Alabama’s lead to 4-1.

Through three games this week, Seidl is 6-for-12 with a pair of doubles, a home run and five RBIs. The redshirt senior leads the team with a .364 batting average.

"It helps to have somebody like that at the top of your lineup everyday," Williamson said. "That guy brings it in so many other ways other than just hitting, too. He's like the captain of the team. He's a great leader. Nothing's going to hold him back or hold him down. He's just a great guy overall."

After reaching base in the bottom of the fourth, Seidl left the game with a lower-body injury. Following the game, Jackson said the substitution was a precautionary measure.

"I don't think it's anything too serious," Jackson said. "He had kind of a soreness. It's more a lower-body deal."

For the second time in as many weeks, Alabama pitcher Garrett McMillan delivered a quality start on the mound. The senior right-hander went six innings Saturday, surrendering three earned runs on five hits and three walks while striking out a season-high eight batters. McMillan’s first quality start of the year came during Alabama’s 12-1 victory over Texas A&M on May 13 when he held the Aggies to one run on a hit and a walk while striking out seven batters over six innings.

McMillan, who served as Alabama’s Friday starter last year, didn’t make his season debut until April due to a muscle strain. He's recorded wins in each of his last three starts, giving up just five runs while striking out 18 batters over a combined 17⅔ innings.

"It definitely feels good to get my feet under me," McMillan said. "Ever since that first game I started, I felt pretty good. Just packing the strike zone is the main thing. The defense behind us is unreal. So, we just pack the strike zone, get fly balls, ground balls — usually an out every time you do that. You get a big strikeout here and there and it works out a little."

McMillan's performance Thursday continues a string of strong starts for Alabama pitchers in the SEC Tournament. Hunter Furtado threw five scoreless innings during Tuesday’s 4-0 victory over Kentucky, while Luke Holman gave up two earned runs over 5⅔ innings during Wednesday’s extra-inning loss to Florida.

"It's kind of turned into a competition," McMillan said. "The pitching staff is definitely competitive... It's a competition between us individually and the pitching staff. Every time we go out there, we're trying to put up big numbers."