Softball On SI

Audrey Vandagriff, Catelyn Riley Shine as Alabama Softball Walks Off OU

Audrey Vandagriff delivered the walk-off homer and Catelyn Riley pitched a gem as Alabama defeated Oklahoma in a thrilling classic.
Maren Angus-Coombs|
Alabama softball player Audrey Vandagriff (12) hits against Georgia at Rhoads Stadium in Tuscaloosa on Sunday, Mar 30, 2025.
Alabama softball player Audrey Vandagriff (12) hits against Georgia at Rhoads Stadium in Tuscaloosa on Sunday, Mar 30, 2025. | Alabama Athletics

Rhoads Stadium was sold out on Monday night but every seat was empty when Alabama freshman star Audrey Vandagriff walked off Oklahoma with a solo home run in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Vandagriff brought the entire stadium to its feet and ended an instant classic with one swing, giving the Crimson Tide a 2-1 win over the Sooners.

The victory also clinched the series for Alabama.

"Just a hell of a series," coach Patrick Murphy said. "I'm so happy that No. 1, all three games were on TV. And No. 2, we had almost 13,000 people for a three-game series. Great facility, great teams showcased what a great sport softball is. Tonight was just a classic."

Catelyn Riley threw every pitch for the Crimson Tide, allowing just six hits and walking two in 8.0 innings.

Riley, who spent the previous three seasons at Ole Miss, has thrived with the Crimson Tide this season and threw the game of her life against the Sooners. She improved to 10-1 on the year and dropped her ERA to 2.11.

Dodging traffic late in the game, Riley kept OU off the scoreboard despite the Sooners having bases loaded with only one out in the seventh. She got Kasidi Pickering and Gabbie Garcia to ground into back-to-back fielder’s choice plays, recording both outs at the plate.

Riley held the Sooners offense to just 2-for-15 at the plate with runners on and 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position. Their lone run was a solo blast off the bat of Nelly McEnroe-Marinas,

Alabama jumped out to a 1-0 lead when Vandagriff reached on a one-out single. She stole second and scored on a double from Kali Haivilin.

Vandagriff finished the night 3-for-4 with two runs scored and one RBI.

McEnroe-Marinas tied the game in the top of the fourth and neither team could push across another run until the bottom of the eighth.

The seven runs scored by the Sooners in the three games tied their lowest output in a series since 2012.

The Tide will travel to Gainesville for a three-game series against No. 11 Florida starting Thursday while the Sooners will host No. 16 Mississippi State to Norman on Friday.

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Maren Angus-Coombs
MAREN ANGUS-COOMBS

Maren Angus-Coombs was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and has been a sports writer since 2008. She has been covering college softball since 2016 for various outlets including Softball America, ESPNW and Hurrdat Sports. She is currently the managing editor of Softball On SI and also serves as an analyst for Nebraska softball games on Nebraska Public Media and B1G+.

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