TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – A clutch bases-loaded double from Alexis Pupillo and a stellar complete game outing from Jocelyn Briski led fourth-ranked Alabama softball to a 4-1 win over No. 8 Arkansas in Friday’s series opener at Rhoads Stadium.

No. 4/6 Alabama (25-0, 4-0 SEC) and No. 8/9 Arkansas (22-3, 2-2 SEC) were scoreless until the Razorbacks got on the board with a sac fly in the top of the fifth. With one out in the bottom half of the inning, Brooke Wells was intentionally walked for the second time tonight to load the bases with one out for Alexis Pupillo. On the fourth pitch of her at-bat, she laced a double into the gap in right field, driving in all three runs to give the Crimson Tide the 3-1 lead. A Lauren Johnson sac fly in the sixth made it a three-run game but Jocelyn Briski (9-0) ultimately didn’t need the help in the circle, earning the complete-game victory and tying her career high mark with 14 strikeouts.

LET’S GO LEX!??????

??SECN+ | https://t.co/RhqNqyZl8h#Team30 #RollTide pic.twitter.com/4LB3ApjOQv

— Alabama Softball (@AlabamaSB) March 14, 2026

“It was a great first home SEC win, and you’ve got to give it up to [Jocelyn] Briski. 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.”

Highlights

• Alabama improves to 25-0, which is tied for the fourth best start in program history (2007) and one shy of the 26-0 start from the 2012 season
• Alexis Pupillo went 2-for-3 with three RBIs, giving her the team lead with 31 RBIs and 10 multi-RBI games
• Pupillo also extended her reached-base streak to 21 games
• Ana Roman tallied her seventh multi-hit game of the season, going 2-for-3 at the plate Friday
• Jocelyn Briski tied her career best mark with 14 strikeouts, originally set earlier this season against St. Thomas (Feb. 27)

Scoring Summary

• T5 | Arkansas got on the board first with a sac fly RBI (0-1, 1 Out)
• B5 | Alexis Pupillo cleared the bases with a double in the gap (3-1, 1 Out)
• B6 | Kristen White scored on a Lauren Johnson sac fly (4-1, 1 Out)

Up Next: vs. #8/9 Arkansas (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)

• Saturday, March 14 – 2 p.m. CT
• Sunday, March 15 – 1:30 p.m. CT