Oklahoma lost bookended games in a weekend series at Alabama by the identical score of 8-6, but the No. 9 Sooners managed to come up on the winning side of another close encounter in the middle series on Saturday.
The Sooners (22-5, 5-4) pushed across a single run in the top of the first on Sunday, but a three-run Alabama home run off of OU starter Malachi Witherspoon in the bottom half of the inning put the Crimson Tide up 3-1, and they pushed the advantage out to 8-1 after four innings with single runs in the second and third and a three-spot in the fourth.
Oklahoma spent the rest of the game Sunday whittling away at the sizeable score difference. The Sooners got one run back in the fifth on an inside-the-park home run by Jason Walk and a couple more in the seventh to draw within 8-4.
An eighth-inning home run by Dayton Tockey, his fifth of the year and second of the series, with Jaxson Willits aboard narrowed the gap to 8-6, but that was as close as the Sooners got in dropping their first SEC series after taking two previous series.
Starter Malachi Witherspoon took the loss on Sunday. The junior right-hander worked five innings, allowing eight runs on seven hits, striking out six and walking one.
The other Witherspoon brother, Kyson, as usual, got the start in the series opener on Friday. Oklahoma fell behind early in that one, as well, trailing 4-0 after three innings. A two-run homer to right field off the bat of freshman Drew Dickerson in the fourth cut the Alabama lead in half.
After Alabama extended the lead to 5-2 in the sixth, the Sooners scored twice in the seventh and a two-run blast in the eighth by Tockey brought OU all the way back and gave the Sooners the lead, 6-5, headed to the bottom of the eighth.
The advantage didn't last long, though, as the Crimson Tide struck three times in the home half of the inning off of Sooner relievers Jason Bodin and Dylan Crooks.
Oklahoma threatened in the ninth inning on Friday, loading the bases on a pair of singles and a walk, but Alabama reliever got pinch-hitter Dason Harris to ground out to shortstop to end the rally and the game.
Kyson Witherspoon went the first four innings, giving up four runs on five hits and striking out six, but he did not factor in the decision. Bodin was charged with the loss, his first to go with two wins.
The Sooners won the middle game in the series on Saturday 6-5 behind a strong outing by starting pitcher Cade Crossland. A junior college transfer, Crossland earned a quality start, working six full innings, allowing two runs on six hits, striking out seven and issuing one walk.
With the scored deadlocked at four apiece heading to the ninth, OU broke the tie scoring a pair of runs in the ninth and could have had another but Jason Walk was thrown out at the plate trying to score behind Brandon Cain on a single by Easton Carmichael.
Down 6-4, Alabama loaded the bases with one out in the ninth. The Crimson Tide managed to push across one run before closer Crooks struck out Alabama catcher Will Plattner to retire the side and end the threat. Senior right-hander Reid Hensley picked up the win in relief, pitching to just two hitters in the ninth.
The Sooners fell on spot this week to No. 10 in the D1 Baseball Rankings after the series loss.
Oklahoma will play former Big 12 foe Texas Tech in Frisco, Texas, on Tuesday and will host No. 7 LSU in a three-game weekend series beginning Friday.