TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – No. 12 Alabama baseball staved off No. 9 Oklahoma in a contest twice delayed by rain at Sewell-Thomas Stadium on Sunday afternoon, as the Crimson Tide held on for an 8-6 win to earn the series victory. The win improved Alabama to 25-4 overall on the season and 6-3 in Southeastern Conference play.

The Tide offense propelled the team to an early 8-1 lead, scoring runs in each of the first four innings. Will Hodo was one of three men in the Alabama lineup to manage multiple hits, finishing 2-for-4 with a solo home run. Bryce Fowler closed 2-for-3 with two doubles, two runs scored and a hit-by-pitch, while Brady Neal produced a pair of base-hits to stamp his 2-for-4 effort at the plate.

Jason Torres was 1-for-4, though his three-run home run in the opening frame helped stake the Tide to an early advantage. Justin Lebron recorded a single to go with two walks, a hit-by-pitch and one run scored, encompassing his 1-for-3 line.

Aeden Finateri (1-0) made his third start of the season and his first in SEC play, allowing just two runs in a season-high 4.2 innings, striking out four. The Connecticut native allowed a run in the first, but settled in to throw three scoreless innings before exiting the contest with two outs in the fifth after reaching his predetermined pitch limit. Coulson Buchanan and Braylon Myers turned in scoreless outings out of the Alabama bullpen, while Carson Ozmer notched his seventh save after facing the minimum following just nine pitches in the ninth.

From Head Coach Rob Vaughn

“Good day for the guys, but the story of the day was Aeden Finateri. Just a great job from him, but he’s been in that moment before as a Friday night starter in the ACC for a really good team, so we knew that he wouldn’t make the moment too big. I thought he got squeezed early and walked two guys, but he didn’t panic, and that’s why we trusted him in that spot. He executed pitches and not only minimized the damage in the first inning, but he ends up almost giving us five innings. I thought we competed offensively and made them pay for some mistakes. So, all in all, it’s a good win and we’ll turn our attention to Samford.”

How It Happened

• T1 | Oklahoma worked consecutive walks to open the game, with the first scoring on an RBI single to right. (1-0, Oklahoma)
• B1 | After Justin Lebron was plunked and Kade Snell walked, Jason Torres lifted a three-run, opposite-field home run to right. (3-1, Alabama)
• B2 | After a 32-minute rain delay, Bryce Fowler lined the first pitch he saw into the left field corner for a leadoff double. Brady Neal then poked a single up the middle to move Fowler to third. A 6-4-3 double play off the bat of Richie Bonomolo Jr. erased Neal but scored Fowler. (4-1, Alabama)
• B3 | With one out, Will Hodo slugged a solo homer to left-center. (5-1, Alabama)
• B4 | Fowler, Neal and Bonomolo Jr. each reached base to open the inning, loading the bases. After a strikeout, Snell plated Fowler with an RBI groundout to second. Then, Torres hit a line-drive that was misplayed by the Oklahoma right fielder allowing Neal and Bonomolo Jr. to score. (8-1, Alabama)
• T5 | The Sooners responded with an inside-the-park home run. (8-2, Alabama)
• T7 | Oklahoma plated a pair of runs on two hits, aided by two walks. (8-4, Alabama)
• T8 | A two-run homer to right trimmed the Alabama advantage. (8-6, Alabama)

Postgame Notes

• Sunday’s game was delayed by rain on two separate occasions, spanning 66 minutes
• Alabama’s 6-3 start to SEC play is its best start through nine league contests since 2014 when the Tide also won six of its first nine Southeastern Conference games
• The Crimson Tide is now 22-0 when leading after six innings, and 14-1 when it hits at least two homers in a game
• Aeden Finateri turned in the longest outing of his Alabama career, tossing 4.2 innings while striking out a career-best four hitters
• Finateri has struck out at least three men in each of his last three appearances
• Bryce Fowler reached base in nine of his 13 plate appearances on the weekend, going 5-for-9 (.556) in addition to earning three walks and a hit-by-pitch
• Brady Neal notched his second multi-hit game of the season and his first since Feb. 18 against Middle Tennessee
• Jason Torres’ three-run home run in the first inning was his first long-ball since March 11 at UAB
• Though his eight-game hitting streak came to a close, Kade Snell worked a walk in the first inning to advance his on-base streak to 26 games
• ATTENDANCE: 3,625

Up Next

• Alabama will wrap up its brief four-game homestand when it hosts Samford on Tuesday, April 1
• The contest between the Crimson Tide and the Bulldogs is set for a 6 p.m. CT start, airing on SEC Network+