Alabama defeated the Oklahoma Sooners 2-1 this past weekend, moving to 25-4 on the season and 6-3 in the SEC.
Game 1: Alabama 8, Oklahoma 6
Alabama squeezed out a win in Game 1, winning 8-6.
The Crimson Tide scored the first run of the game in the second inning. Infielder Garrett Staton’s RBI double allowed infielder Jason Torres to score, and the very next at-bat, center fielder Richie Bonomolo Jr. hit a sac fly to left field, allowing outfielder Bryce Fowler to score and making it 2-0.
Offensive success continued in the third for Alabama. Shortstop Justin Lebron’s solo homer and Staton’s hit by a pitch with the bases loaded made it 4-0.
Oklahoma fought back, with infielder Drew Dickerson hitting a 2-run homer in the fourth to make it 4-2. Alabama outfielder Kade Snell made it 5-2 with an RBI single in the sixth.
The Sooners refused to give up, scoring 2 runs in the seventh thanks to a fielder’s choice and 2 more in the eighth with a 2-run homer to right from first baseman Dayton Tockey, which made it 6-5 in favor of Oklahoma.
Then in the bottom of the eighth, Alabama retook the lead. It started with a Snell RBI single to tie the game, and in the next at-bat, catcher Will Platner hit a double to allow Lebron to score and take the lead. Torres added insurance for Alabama with an RBI single, scoring Plattner to make it 8-6.
“This is what I’ve said about our offense forever, we just keep going, so for them one through nine is a tough at bat,” Snell said.
Sophomore Zane Adams started for Alabama, lasting 4.0 innings and giving up 2 ER and only four hits. The bullpen did have some shaky moments, but ultimately, closer Carson Ozmer was able to clinch the win for Alabama while the bases were loaded.
Head coach Rob Vaughn had high praise for Ozmer after the game.
“He’s tough, he’s real, he’s a competitor, he’s a great teammate and again, he just does a really good job of staying in the moment,” Vaughn said.
Game 2: Oklahoma 6, Alabama 5
In a back-and-forth game between the two SEC squads, Oklahoma emerged victorious to even the series.
Crimson Tide starting pitcher Bobby Alcock got off to a rough start, giving up a run in each of his first three innings, including a home run to designated hitter Sam Christiansen to lead off the second inning.
Alabama got on the board at the bottom of the third as Bonomolo clubbed a solo homer to lower the Sooners’ lead to 3-1.
The Crimson Tide cut the lead further when Staton singled in the bottom of the fourth, scoring Snell.
Alcock’s next three innings were much better than his first three, as he didn’t allow another run until he was pulled after walking the first batter in the seventh, and in came Connor Ball.
“I thought Bobby competed his tail off,” Vaughn said. “I thought he got better as the game went on.”
The Oklahoma offense woke up again, as outfielder Jason Walk hit an RBI single to make it 4-2.
Chaos happened in the bottom of the inning when Bonomolo dropped a successful bunt, and Sooners pitcher Jason Bodin threw the ball away, leading to Brennan Norton scoring on the play. A few batters later, Snell had a productive out when he grounded to second but scored Fowler on the play and tied the game at 4.
Oklahoma responded in the ninth, staging a rally in which a sacrifice fly and RBI single made it 6-4 in the Sooners’ favor.
In the bottom of the inning, Alabama staged a similar rally. After a few base runners got on, Snell had another RBI groundout to make it 6-5. But with the tying and go-ahead runs on base with two outs, Plattner struck out, ending the game.
“We had a chance there at the end. We just couldn’t pull it out,” Vaughn said. “I loved the fight that we had.”
Game 3: Alabama 8, Oklahoma 6
All of Alabama’s runs came in the first four innings. Oklahoma got on the board in the first inning with an RBI single, but the Crimson Tide answered right back with a 3-run homer from Torres, his eighth of the year. In the second, Bonomolo made it 4-1 thanks to a ground out that allowed Fowler to score.
First baseman Will Hodo hit a solo homer in the third to make it 5-1. A Snell groundout in the fourth allowed Fowler to score again, and in the next at-bat, Torres reached base off of an error, allowing 2 more runs to score to make it 8-1 Crimson Tide.
Walk hit an inside-the-park home run for Oklahoma after a scary collision between Snell and Bonomolo in the outfield. Bonomolo would later return to the game, but Snell did not.
Oklahoma scored 2 more runs each in the seventh and eighth. In the seventh, outfielder Dasan Harris reached base due to a fielder’s choice, allowing a run to score, and two at-bats later, a Brayden Horton single allowed a run to score to make it 8-4. A 2-run homer from Tockey made it 8-6, which would be the game’s last run.
Despite rain delays in the second and eighth innings, Fowler was able to stay focused and find success with his offensive game.
“Coming off a rain delay, I was hoping for a first-pitch fastball, so I was just sitting back and I got it and just didn’t miss it. It felt good to hit a double and end up scoring,” he said.
Vaughn decided to shake things up and start Aeden Finateri on the mound, and he delivered, allowing four hits and 2 ER with four strikeouts across 4.2 innings. The Crimson Tide then turned to the bullpen five times over the next 3.1 innings before Ozmer once again came in for the save in the ninth, getting all three outs on nine pitches.
Alabama now prepares to host Southern Miss on Tuesday at 6 p.m. CT. Viewers can watch on SEC Network.
