Alabama
Oklahoma
Early Barrage Enough for No. 16 Alabama in 10-7 Win at No. 11 Oklahoma
4/3/2026 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
The Crimson Tide used an eight-run 2nd to jump out to a 10-1 lead
NORMAN, Okla. – No. 16 Alabama baseball (24-7, 7-3 SEC) exploded for eight runs in the 2nd, which proved to be just enough, as the Crimson Tide held off a late Oklahoma (20-9, 4-6) charge in Friday's 10-7 win at Kimrey Family Stadium on Friday. The win stands as Alabama's ninth consecutive win and its seventh straight Southeastern Conference victory, marking the Tide's first seven-game conference winning streak since 1997.
The Alabama lineup tallied all 10 of its runs in its first two trips at the plate, highlighted by Bryce Fowler, who finished 2-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI. Fowler launched the first pitch of the contest beyond the left field fence before slamming a three-run home run in the 2nd. Brady Neal continued his torrid pace, finishing a perfect 4-for-4, falling a home run short of the cycle. Neal also provided one RBI and a walk as well as robbing a would-be three-run home run in the 6th. Jason Torres and Justin Osterhouse homered in the extended 2nd inning, with both men slugging respective two-run home runs to mark their lone hits. John Lemm put together a 2-for-5 night, including a double and an RBI single.
Tyler Fay (6-2) was mostly effective throughout his 6.0 solid innings, allowing six hits and four runs to go with one walk and seven strikeouts. Fay surrendered a run in the 1st, though proceeded to retire 11 consecutive hitters from the opening inning into the 5th. Fay saw two home runs lead to three runs in the 5th, though the veteran right-hander managed to escape out of a scoreless 6th, thanks to Neal's home run robbery.
Sam Mitchell gave Alabama a sturdy effort out of the bullpen, tossing 2.0 scoreless frames before running into trouble in the 9th. One out away from a three-inning save, Mitchell surrendered a two-run triple, forcing Matthew Heiberger into the game. The lefty took care of business, striking out his lone batter to earn his second save of the season and finalize the win.
From Head Coach Rob Vaughn
"I thought we were as focused and as locked in as we've been all year in those first two innings. You have to credit Xander Mercurius too. We weren't bad but he really settled in and was 97 with plus stuff. He was throwing four pitches for strikes, moving stuff around, throwing the heater up and down. He settled in and was outstanding. Tyler Fay turned in another great performance, Sam Mitchell did a great job, most of their misses were down, and then Matt Heiberger comes in and finished it. Winning in this league on the road is real, real hard, so I love kind of see us inch it out after the second. Great job to find a way to get it done and now we go to work tomorrow."
How It Happened
- T1 | Bryce Fowler lifted the first pitch of the game over the left field fence to give the Tide an immediate lead. Two batters later, Brady Neal tripled off the center field fence to put a man at third. With two outs, John Lemm lined an RBI single to drive in Neal. (2-0, Alabama)
- B1 | OU's Camden Johnson singled up the middle with one out and later advanced to second after a productive out. Jaxon Willits then singled to center to bring in Johnson. (2-1, Alabama)
- T2 | The Tide tallied eight runs in the inning, beginning with Justin Osterhouse, who has hit by a pitch and stole second with one out. Brennan Holt was also hit by a pitch, leading to Fowler's three-run home run to right. After the homer, Justin Lebron walked and stole second, with Neal driving him in with a single to center. After Neal, Jason Torres slugged a two-run home run to left-center. Lemm followed Torres with a double down the left field line, and two batters later, Osterhouse lifted a two-run blast to left, the third home run of the frame. (10-1, Alabama)
- B5 | Oklahoma added three runs in the inning, started by Nolan Stevens, who lifted a one-out solo homer to left. After Kyle Branch followed the homer with a walk, Trey Gambill provided a two-out, two-run home run to right. (10-4, Alabama)
- B9 | The Sooners threatened in the 9th, with Alex Blair opening the inning with a solo home run. The next batter was hit by a pitch, though a strikeout and a fielder's choice set up two outs with a man on. Gambill followed the fielder's choice with a single before Johnson lined a two-run triple into right-center. However, Matthew Heiberger struck out Brendon Brock for the final out of the night. (10-7, Alabama)
Postgame Notes
- Alabama has now won seven consecutive SEC games, marking the Tide's first seven-game conference winning streak since 1997
- The Crimson Tide has not won eight straight league games since that same 1997 season
- UA's nine-game winning streak extends what stands as a season-long streak
- Alabama's eight-run 2nd tied for the most runs in a single inning by the Tide this season (vs. Rhode Island, Feb. 20, 2nd inning)
- The Tide's four home runs on Friday matched its 2026 single-game high (vs. Rhode Island, Feb. 20)
- Alabama produced three home runs in the 2nd (Bryce Fowler, Jason Torres, and Justin Osterhouse), with the Tide recording its first three-homer inning since April 26, 2025, against Missouri (Will Hodo, Jason Torres and Bryce Fowler)
- Brady Neal is the second Alabama player this season to manage four hits in a single game (Justin Osterhouse vs. North Florida, March 6)
- Neal also extended his on-base streak to 22 games
- Fowler's two-homer night marks his first-career multi-homer game since arriving at Alabama
- Fowler also improved his team-leading on-base streak to 25 games
- John Lemm has now reached base in nine consecutive games and owns a seven-game hitting streak
- Lemm is hitting .423 (11-for-26) with two doubles, two home runs, six RBI, two walks and six runs scored over the course of his seven-game hitting streak
- Justin Lebron advanced his on-base streak to 11 games
- Jason Torres has reached base in eight consecutive games
- Attendance: 3,895
Up Next
- Alabama will continue its series with No. 11 Oklahoma on Friday, April 3
- First pitch between the Crimson Tide and Sooners is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT, airing on SEC Network+
