Alabama
Oklahoma
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (05/30/2026) — The Alabama Crimson Tide outlasted the Oklahoma State Cowboys 9-7 in 11 innings at Sewell-Thomas Stadium on Saturday, riding a three-run home run from Brady Neal in the bottom of the 11th to break a deadlock that had held since the eighth.
How It Happened
Alabama struck first and built an early cushion. In the second inning, B. Holt singled to left to score J. Torres for a 1-0 lead. The Crimson Tide then broke through in the third: Neal was hit by a pitch to bring home P. Steele, and John Lemm followed with a single to right that scored B. Fowler and Justin Lebron, pushing the lead to 4-0.
Oklahoma State answered immediately in the same frame. Deacon Pomeroy homered to right center to score R. Indomenico, and Kollin Ritchie came around twice on wild pitches and once on a passed ball, trimming the deficit to 4-3. The Cowboys had erased most of the early damage in a single inning.
Torres extended the margin in the fifth with a solo home run to left center, making it 5-3. From there, Oklahoma State chipped away with the long ball. Avery Ortiz homered to right in the sixth to make it 5-4, and the seventh belonged to the Cowboys: Brock Thompson homered to right to tie the game at 5, and Ritchie followed with a home run to right to give Oklahoma State its only lead of the night at 6-5.
Alabama refused to fold. Eric Hines homered to left in the eighth to knot the score at 6, and the game pushed into extra innings tied with no lead changes the rest of regulation.
Turning Point
The decisive blow came in the bottom of the 11th. With C. Kroberger and Lebron aboard, Neal homered to right for a three-run shot that put Alabama ahead 9-6. Oklahoma State managed one run back when Garrett Shull singled to right to score Ritchie, but the rally stalled there. Neal's swing — his only hit of the night across four at-bats — accounted for four RBI and proved the difference in a game that featured two ties and zero lead changes over the final innings.
Star of the Game
Neal delivered the headline moment, finishing 1-for-4 with a home run, four RBI, a run scored and a walk. His 11th-inning blast was the game-winner. Hines turned in the most complete offensive day, going 3-for-5 with a home run, an RBI and a run, including the eighth-inning shot that forced extras. Torres added a 1-for-5 line with a home run, an RBI and two runs, while Justin Lebron reached base repeatedly, going 2-for-6 with two runs scored.
On the mound, Hagan Banks closed the door for Alabama with three innings of relief, allowing five hits and one run while striking out six. Myles Upchurch set the early tone with 6.0 innings, surrendering five hits and four runs with nine strikeouts, and Ashton Crowther bridged the middle with 2.0 innings and two strikeouts.
For Oklahoma State, Ritchie was a constant threat, going 3-for-6 with a home run, three runs and an RBI. Ortiz, Pomeroy and Thompson each homered, accounting for much of the Cowboys' production. Reliever Ethan Lund was sharp in defeat, throwing 4.2 innings with just one hit allowed, one run and seven strikeouts.
What It Means
The Crimson Tide showed resilience at Sewell-Thomas Stadium, answering every Oklahoma State surge and finding the game-winning swing when it mattered most. Alabama's power was on display throughout, with home runs from Neal, Torres and Hines, and the bullpen's late work — particularly Banks' six-strikeout finish — secured a hard-fought 9-7 win.
For Oklahoma State, the loss came despite a strong offensive showing built on four home runs and a multi-hit night from Ritchie. The Cowboys clawed back from an early four-run hole and briefly grabbed the lead in the seventh, but fell short in extra innings. Lund's quality relief outing offered a bright spot in a tough loss decided by a single swing in the 11th.
