Alabama
LSU
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (05/22/2026) — The Alabama Crimson Tide knocked off the LSU Tigers 4-1 on Friday night at Rhoads Stadium, riding a two-out, third-inning break and a four-run middle frame to a tidy SEC win in front of 3,421 fans.
Alabama needed only a handful of swings to crack a tense pitching battle, then leaned on a two-pitcher plan to keep LSU at arm's length. Alexis Pupillo's solo home run to center field in the fourth inning swung the game decisively, and Salen Hawkins' two-run single to left moments later turned a one-run edge into a comfortable lead the Tigers never seriously threatened.
How It Happened
Neither lineup mustered much against the early heat. Jayden Heavener went the distance for LSU and brought a sharp breaking ball, finishing with eight strikeouts over 7.0 innings on six hits. Vic Moten matched her zero-for-zero through the opening frames for Alabama, eventually piling up seven strikeouts across 4.0 innings of work.
The scoreboard finally flickered in the bottom of the third. K. White came around to score on a Heavener wild pitch to put the Crimson Tide on the board 1-0, capitalizing on a rare break in command. LSU answered immediately in the top of the fourth, when Alix Franklin scampered home on Tori Edwards' single to center to knot things at 1-1.
The tie lasted exactly half an inning. Pupillo turned on a pitch and drove it over the center-field wall to give Alabama a 2-1 advantage. Two batters later, with Audrey Vandagriff and Ambrey Taylor aboard, Hawkins ripped a single to left and brought both runners home. In the span of one inning Alabama had flipped a close game into a three-run margin at 4-1.
From there, the bullpen took over. Jocelyn Briski threw 3.0 hitless-style innings — surrendering just two hits, no runs, and striking out five — to slam the door. The Tigers managed five total hits on the night and stranded the rest, never bringing the tying run to the plate in the late innings.
Turning Point
The fourth inning was the ballgame. After LSU dragged the score level in the top half, Pupillo's solo blast to center reclaimed the lead on the very next half-inning and reset the emotional weight of the night. Hawkins' two-RBI single to left, plating Vandagriff and Taylor, turned a one-score game into a three-score game and forced LSU to start chasing. With Briski warming and Heavener locked into a full workload, that two-out cushion proved decisive.
Star of the Game
Pupillo earned top billing. The Alabama bat finished 2-for-4 with a run scored, an RBI and the go-ahead home run to center in the fourth — the swing that broke the tie and never let LSU back even.
In the circle, Moten and Briski deserve a shared mention. Moten's 4.0 innings, five-hit, one-run, seven-strikeout outing set the tone, and Briski's 3.0-inning, two-hit, no-run, five-strikeout finish closed the book. Hawkins' 1-for-2, two-RBI, one-walk line was the other piece of the offensive ledger, with Vandagriff (1-for-3, run) and Taylor (1-for-2, run, walk) both scoring on her decisive hit.
For LSU, Heavener was the bright spot — 7.0 innings, six hits, four runs, eight strikeouts — keeping her lineup in striking distance until the late innings. Edwards drove in the Tigers' lone run, and Franklin scored it.
What It Means
For the Alabama Crimson Tide, the win is the kind of clean, complementary performance that travels in May — power from the heart of the order, situational hitting with two outs, and a bullpen that protected a multi-run lead without flinching. The Tide held a conference opponent to one run and got contributions up and down the box score.
For the LSU Tigers, this one stings without being damning. Heavener was excellent enough to win most nights, the lineup answered Alabama's first jab, and the gap on the scoreboard came in a single four-run frame rather than a sustained beating. Tighten one inning and the conversation changes. Friday night, that inning belonged to Alabama.
