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Alexis Pupillo's Clutch Hit Secures Win for No. 6 Alabama over No. 9 Arkansas

The Crimson Tide stays undefeated on the season with a 4-1 victory over the Razorbacks at Rhoads Stadium on Friday night.
Katie Windham|
Alabama Softball Player Alexis Pupillo (31) in action against Arkansas at Rhoads Stadium in Tuscaloosa, AL on Friday, Mar 13, 2026.
Alabama Softball Player Alexis Pupillo (31) in action against Arkansas at Rhoads Stadium in Tuscaloosa, AL on Friday, Mar 13, 2026. | UA Athletics

Leaving the bases loaded was a big issue in Alabama's SEC opening series last weekend at Ole Miss, and senior Alexis Pupillo made sure that wasn't going to be a problem for the Crimson Tide on Friday night against No. 9 Arkansas.

Alabama starter Jocelyn Briski had been throwing an excellent game, but Arkansas took the first lead of the game on a sacrifice fly in the top of the fifth inning. Pupillo stepped to the plate in the bottom half of the frame with three runners on and one out.

She cranked a ball out to the right-center outfield gap to score all three runners and give Alabama the lead. That lead would hold as Briski tied her career high with 14 strikeouts and did not allow another run. No. 6 Alabama beat the Razorback 4-1 in front of a rowdy Rhoads Stadium crowd.

Lauren Johnson added an insurance run in the sixth inning on a sacrifice fly that upped the Tide lead to 4-1. Briski handled the rest.

Alabama's junior ace limited the powerful Arkansas offense to just three hits and one run. She struck out 14 without allowing a walk. The defense also stepped up with its fifth straight error-free performance in the field.

"It was a great first home SEC win, and you’ve got to give it up to [Jocelyn] Briski," Alabama head coach Patrick Murphy said in a press release. "That was one hell of a pitching performance. Fourteen strikeouts against one of the best lineups in the country. They had a little charge there in the inning they scored, but she didn’t fold and allowed us to score three runs after that, which was key. Arkansas is a good team, so it’s a huge win for us.”

The Tide offense was able to get into the Arkansas bullpen, chasing starter Robyn Herron in the fifth inning. Payton Burnham pitched the final 1.2 innings for the Razorbacks. This is an advantage for Alabama with two games still to go in the series.

This was the Crimson Tide's third top-10 win of the season. Alabama improves to 25-0 (4-0 SEC) and will be going for the series win against Arkansas (22-3, 2-2 SEC) on Saturday at 2 p.m. on SEC Network+.

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Katie Windham
KATIE WINDHAM

Katie Windham is the assistant editor for BamaCentral, primarily covering football, basketball, gymnastics and softball. She is a two-time graduate of the University of Alabama and has covered a variety of Crimson Tide athletics since 2019 for outlets like The Tuscaloosa News, The Crimson White and the Associated Press before joining BamaCentral full time in 2021. Windham has covered College Football Playoff games, the Women's College World Series, NCAA March Madness, SEC Tournaments and championships in multiple sports.

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