The No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide softball team beat Arkansas 9-0 on Sunday to sweep the weekend series with the Razorbacks. With the win, Alabama advances to 33-2 on the season and 9-1 in the Southeastern Conference. Alabama started out strong in the series, winning 12-3 against the Razorbacks Friday. The Tide clinched the series victory Saturday, winning 10-1. Through three games, Alabama outscored Arkansas 31-4 and out-hit the Razorbacks 37-13. The Tide used the run rule in every game. For head coach Patrick Murphy, his team’s ability to make short work of the Razorbacks was good for his team, which has played 13 games in the last 15 days. “It’s a lot of nerve-racking,” Murphy said. “Every pitch counts. It started really with the Easton Classic, some tough teams, then Auburn came in, and then Georgia, had to go to Tennessee…So, it’s a lot of softball, very little time. And you just hope that they can get through it.” Senior Whitney Larsen said that while it was good for her team to finish Arkansas as quickly as it did, the team should be used to it by now. “I think it’s very important,” Larsen said. “Like Coach Murphy said, it’s been a long week and a half. But that’s what the season is. We’re used to this by now. Run rules are great for the sake of saving arms and stuff like that, but that’s not what we strive for. We just strive for a win.” The Tide seemed to struggle at the plate in the first two innings, and both teams were scoreless after two. Then, in the third inning, Alabama exploded, jumping out to a 5-0 lead. With the bases loaded, senior Whitney Larsen knocked in Ryan Iamurri, Keima Davis and Kayla Braud. Amanda Locke then ripped a homer to bring in Larsen, essentially ending the game. Alabama tacked on another four points in the fourth to seal the victory. “I don’t think our at-bats were very good the first couple of innings,” Murphy said. “Lazy pop-ups, bad hit selections, some lazy swings… And then kind of after that, everybody did what they were supposed to do… and then it was kind of like what we’re used to seeing.” Larsen said, “When something’s not working, we try to do something different. Just putting runners on puts pressure on the defense, puts pressure on the pitchers, and so I think it just helps us as hitters. “It’s more of like we get a rally going. We may not get a hit, but it’s runners on. We just try to keep the momentum on our side and try to push as many runs as we can across the board.” However, the batters had no pressure on them to score, as senior pitcher Kelsi Dunne earned her hundredth career victory for the Tide, making her only the second player in Tide history to do so. “She’s very deserving of it,” Larsen said. “I know we work hard, but she takes pride in everything she does. She’s one of the most deserving players o this team to earn every award, every accolade she’s gotten.” Alabama will next play at the College of Charleston on Thursday.