Oklahoma broke a tie with two runs in the top of the ninth inning and held on to defeat Alabama 6-5 Saturday, squaring the best-of-3 series heading into Sunday’s rubber game in Tuscaloosa.
Sam Christiansen led off OU’s ninth with a single to left field off Hagan Banks. Dawson Willis greeted Crimson Tide reliever Braylon Myers with a perfect bunt in front of home plate, which he barely beat out to put Sooners on first and second base and nobody out.
Alabama turned Brandon Cain’s bunt into a force-out at third base, before Jason Walk drew a five-pitch walk to load the bases. Trey Gambill drove Myers’ next pitch into right field to score Willis with a sacrifice fly, then Eason Carmichael rolled a single to left field to score Cain.
OU closer Dylan Crooks wobbled in the bottom of the ninth, walking two, giving up a bloop single and allowing an RBI bounce-out that made it 6-5, but he hit the outside corner with a full-count fastball to strike out cleanup hitter Will Plattner with the bases loaded and two outs.
and we'll see y'all tomorrow @Dylan_Crooks7 pic.twitter.com/YVGefeTEzn
— Oklahoma Baseball (@OU_Baseball) March 29, 2025
Crooks’ eighth save made a winner of reliever Reid Hensley, part of a 1-2-3 bottom of the eighth inning that kept the score 4-4. Hensley and Gavyn Jones came up big after Jason Bodin, OU’s first reliever, could not hold a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the seventh.
The work by OU’s late relievers, and the Sooners’ clutch at-bats in the top of the ninth, rescued a clutch start by Cade Crossland.
Coming off Friday night’s 8-6 series-opening loss in which OU ace Kyson Witherspoon lasted just four innings, Crossland worked a season-high six innings and struck out a season-high seven hitters. He fanned Justin Lebron, Alabama’s most touted player with 13 home runs and 52 RBIs, twice. He fanned Plattner and Will Hodo, Alabama’s 4- and 5-hole batters, twice apiece.
Before departing with a 3-2 lead, Crossland drew this SEC Network in-game comment from Crimson Tide coach Rob Vaughn: “That change-up is real.”
Crossland did go off-speed often, and mixed in some heat to frustrate Alabama hitters. He threw 96 miles-per-hour to strike out Lebron in the first inning and 94 to whiff Plattner in the fourth.
“He’s just trying to attack the strike zone,” OU coach Skip Johnson told the SEC Network mid-game. “That’s the biggest thing for him.”
Crossland walked just one in his six innings. He never went to a 3-ball count his first time through Alabama’s order.
He did give up a full-count solo home run to Richie Bonomolo with two outs in the third, but turned around and struck out Lebron on four pitches to end the inning.
Crossland got consistent support from his defense, and help from several different sources of OU offense.
Gambill had two of the Sooners’ nine hits and scored two runs, one in the top of the first on Dayton Tockey’s two-out RBI single and another on Jaxon Willits’ third-inning sacrifice fly.
Willits’ runs accounted for 1-0 and 3-0 leads. Christiansen’s leadoff line-drive home run down the right-field line in the top of the second inning made it 2-0, Sooners.
scorched that one @samchristianse5
— Oklahoma Baseball (@OU_Baseball) March 29, 2025
T2 | OU 2, UA 0 // SECN pic.twitter.com/J6Vv6HAPjA
Bonomolo’s homer made it 3-1 in the third, and Garrett Staton’s two-out RBI single in the fourth drew Alabama within 3-2.
Walk’s first hit of the weekend, a one-out single to centerfield, scored Willis to make it 4-2 in the top of the seventh. Alabama followed that in the bottom half by tying the score against Bodin.
The Sooners’ ninth-inning heroics made them 22-4 overall and 5-3 in the SEC. They’ll win their third conference series in as many tries should they take Sunday’s 1 p.m. finale.
Alabama fell to 24-4 and 5-3.
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A top 2027 class in-state target for the Wisconsin Badgers recently switched full-time to a defensive position that has ignited his recruitment. Richie Flanigan, who was previously a four-star interior offensive lineman in the 2027 recruiting class, recently made the change and will play defensive line moving forward. The Wisconsin native had previously been heavily recruited by Badgers offensive line coach AJ Blazek but has since been in contact with defensive line coach EJ Whitlow. Wisconsin sees Flanigan as a potential fit along the defensive line as an edge and currently the in-state star is considered to be one of the top defensive targets for the Badgers. Flanigan holds a handful of scholarship offers including offers from Michigan, Illinois, Notre Dame, and Northwestern. Despite moving over to defense, many programs have stayed in contact with Flanigan and new programs are bound to become interested. Wisconsin Badgers Aiming to Keep Richie Flanigan In-State Despite Position Change Wisconsin was previously all-in on Flanigan and despite the position change the staff still believes that the athlete is both a schematic fit and a cultural fit. On the defensive side of the football, Flanigan is a quick and athletic rusher who possesses far beyond average strength on the field. Flanigan recorded personal best lifts of a 550-pound deadlift and a 290-pound bench press for his 6-foot-3-inch, 275-pound frame. The long frame of the defender is not just used for power and speed either as Flanigan utilizes his reach to make tackles before the ball-carrier passes by. The defender manages to make athletic stops due to his size and length that other players would likely not be able to complete. The combination of size and power that Flanigan possesses is excellent, but the speed of the defender is what will truly set himself apart from others along the defensive line. Flanigan possesses incredible speed, sacking quarterbacks in record time and blowing up play-action plays before the fake hand-off is completed. In addition to being strong and quick, Flanigan is also a high-motor player who plays high energy football and consistently aims to excite. Between big hits, long pursuits, and key plays, the defender pushes both the energy and tempo of play in a way that the Wisconsin Badgers enjoy watching. With great abilities comes great knowledge and understanding how to use different skills on the field is an advanced skill. Something Flanigan has developed and begun to excel at is picking between speed and power when needed. The mental aspects of the game have come easily for Flanigan and much of the success that the defender has had early on has been due to opponents struggling to keep up. For the Wisconsin Badgers, Flanigan is currently the man right at the top of the list in the 2027 cycle given his proximity to the school and rare talent at a position of need.
While the Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders have garnered a lot of attention lately, there is one NFC team that has quietly been flying under the radar. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost a one-score game to the Lions in the divisional round in 2023 and followed that up with another one-score loss to QB Jayden Daniels and the Commanders last season, proving how close they have been to the ultimate prize in the two seasons with Baker Mayfield under center. In an appearance on ESPN's "Get Up" Tuesday morning, analyst and former player Ryan Clark offered high praise for Mayfield and what the Buccaneers are capable of. "Baker Mayfield is a top-10 quarterback in this league," Clark said. "Baker Mayfield is a football player. And when I say that, I know people at home are gonna be like, 'Duh, he gets paid to play football.' No, not all quarterbacks are seen as football players. Not all quarterbacks are embraced in the locker room as one of us." Clark sees the Buccaneers as a team the rest of the league should be paying attention to because of who they have returning and the close calls in the playoffs the last two seasons. "This is a team that's been on the cusp the last two years," Clark said. "Now you think about some of the pieces they've added, the confidence in their quarterback and the way that he plays, and Todd Bowles with another year to understand winning at a high level at the head coach position. This is a team you better be extremely scared of because they're stacked and they're confident." Mayfield has been sensational during his time with the Buccaneers. Although he did throw 16 interceptions, Mayfield accounted for the third-most passing yards (4,500) in the league last season and has thrown the most TD passes (69) in the last two seasons, per StatMuse. To add even more incentive for Mayfield, the team restructured his contract, which is set to expire after the 2026 season, to include $30M in guaranteed salary for that season. The Buccaneers return a lot of production on both sides of the ball, in addition to bringing in first-round draft pick Emeka Egbuka, who topped 1,000 receiving yards twice at Ohio State and accounted for 26 total TDs. While Tampa Bay allowed the 17th-most points per game (22.7) last season, it returns the majority of its defensive production. On top of that, the offseason acquisition of veteran LB and two-time Pro-Bowler Haason Reddick, who agreed to terms on a one-year deal, should be a welcomed addition for a franchise that had some question marks on defense last season. The Buccaneers are projected to have the sixth-easiest schedule in the NFL this season and have the best chance to win the NFC South for the fifth consecutive season, according to ESPN Analytics. If Mayfield can cut back on his turnovers and the defense can create more pressure on opposing QBs, the Buccaneers could be a threat in the NFC once again as they look to put their recent nail-biting losses in the postseason behind them.
The Boston Bruins have been under pressure to retool after a disappointing season, and now a potential blockbuster move could shake the entire NHL. A major trade proposal has surfaced that could send a star goaltender to the Edmonton Oilers, a move that would give them the elite presence they've lacked in net while forcing Boston closer to a rebuild. The deal being floated by multiple outlets would send Edmonton's current starter, Stuart Skinner, along with Matthew Savoie, Beau Akey, and a 2028 first-round pick to Boston, while the Oilers land a goaltender capable of changing their Cup window overnight. Edmonton's push for a franchise goalie could reshape the Western Conference and challenge the Dallas Stars' path to the Cup If this trade goes through, the Oilers would instantly address one of their biggest weaknesses, setting up a showdown with teams like the Dallas Stars, who already see Edmonton as one of their toughest rivals. Boston, on the other hand, would fully commit to a rebuild, pairing Joonas Korpisalo with Skinner in what could be one of the NHL's weakest tandems, likely boosting their draft lottery odds in one of the most hyped draft classes in recent memory (NHL.com). An insider noted, "They weren't the only ones who had inquired about Swayman, but yes, I was told they poked around." That comment shows just how wide the interest is for this level of goalie talent (Heavy.com). I think this kind of trade would completely shift the balance of power in the West, making Edmonton even more dangerous for teams like Dallas, who could end up facing a vastly upgraded Oilers team in the playoffs. If Boston truly embraces a rebuild, moving their top goaltender could be the first domino in a massive roster overhaul, something that could shake the market for weeks.
There have been a couple of different theories floated about why the Las Vegas Raiders made the shocking decision to cut star defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, but head coach Pete Carroll has no interest in sharing the real motive. The Raiders released Wilkins on Thursday, which was barely a year after they signed him to a four-year, $110M contract in free agency. Initial reports suggested Wilkins and the team were at odds over how the 29-year-old's foot injury was being handled, but the story has since taken a bizarre turn. ESPN's Adam Schefter said on Monday that there was an incident between Wilkins and a teammate in the locker room that Wilkins viewed as playful, but his teammate did not take it that way. Tashan Reed of The Athletic reported that the incident took place in a meeting room at the Raiders' facility last week and was investigated by the team's human resources department. On Tuesday, a reporter asked Carroll about the alleged incident. The 73-year-old coach refused to get into it. "I have no comment to make,” Carroll said, via The Athletic. “We made a decision on what we’re doing, and we’re moving with it. We’ll see how that all unveils itself in time.” The last part of Carroll's comment is interesting. Carroll may have been saying time will tell how the decision to cut Wilkins will turn out for the Raiders, or he may have been insinuating that more information will come out at some point. Raiders defensive tackle Adam Nelson was also asked about Wilkins on Tuesday. Nelson responded by encouraging people to seek therapy if they are struggling with something in their life. Wilkins had 17 total tackles and a pair of sacks in five games with the Raiders before he suffered his season-ending foot injury.