Oklahoma Rallies Late to Take Game 1 From Alabama

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - In a tightly contested Southeastern Conference showdown on Saturday, the Oklahoma Sooners surged late to take Game 1 of the weekend series against the Alabama Crimson Tide with a 5-1 victory at Rhoads Stadium.

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It was a pitchers' duel for much of the game, with both teams holding each other in check through six innings. The Crimson Tide struck first in the third inning when Brooke Ellestad delivered with a sacrifice fly to deep left field, allowing Audrey Vandagriff to tag up and score from third to give the Crimson Tide a 1-0 lead.

That score held strong as the Crimson Tide's defense and pitching staff held firm against the high-powered Sooners' offense until things unraveled in the seventh inning. In the top of the seventh, the Sooners finally broke through. Maya Bland stepped to the plate and launched a momentum-shifting homer over the right field wall, putting the Sooners ahead 2-1. The floodgates opened from there. Ailana Agbayani followed with a clutch double down the left field line, extending the Sooners' lead to 3-1. Kasidi Pickering added to the rally with a single into shallow left to make it 4-1, and an RBI groundout capped off the four-run inning, giving the Sooners a commanding 5-1 advantage.

The Crimson Tide had one last chance in the bottom of the seventh inning with Kristen White, Alexis Pupilo, and Kennedy Marceaux due up, but the Crimson Tide couldn't mount a comeback against the Sooners' bullpen. The Sooners ultimately closed out the game and secured the win.

With Game 1 in the books, the Crimson Tide will look to even the series on Sunday with Game 2 beginning at 5 p.m. CST and streaming available through SEC Network.