⚾ 🥎 Alabama Softball Wins 2021 SEC Softball Tournament Championship

[bama alum]

Kilfoyl needs to get her groove really quickly.

 

[bama alum]

(blank stare)

 

[tider79]

This team drops off severely after Fouts.

 

[bamanc50]

Mowins and Smith has kept their bias for Tennessee in check all night but now they’re going full Vols.

 

[PurlJam]

Murphy is our Bobby Cox.

 

[bamanc50]

Leaving the bases loaded the first 2 innings has come back to bite the Tide.

 

[bama alum]

Kilfoyl...

 

[bama alum]

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!! Helluva time to break a HR record!

 

[252BAMA]

Are they trying to see who is the most stupid coach. Murphy had her beat hands down.

 

[bama alum]

Fouts! 27 K's in this tournament...so far.

Edit: Excuse me! 28 K's! Ball game!

 

[tider79]

Fouts and Hemphill carrying this team!

 

[rick4bama]

Keep it up, Girls WE KNOW YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!
Also our girl in the booth don't have to sing Bottom Top!!

 

[BamaFan334]

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!! Helluva time to break a HR record!

My exact thoughts.

 

[Brandon Van de Graaff]

Way more often than not, Murphy's moves work out pretty well. Backfires happen though. That said, Kilfoyl is an elite pitcher, but up until a few days ago she hadn't practiced with the team (along with several others) for over a week due to the silly COVID quarantine rules. Even with that aside, she hasn't thrown in a game in weeks because of an injury. For Alabama to win a championship in OKC, she's going to have to pitch, and she needs to knock off the rust sooner rather than later.

The baseball team tonight is 1000x more frustrating than anything that happened at Rhoads... they trail LSU 2-0 in the 8th, They've had 11 hits and left 10 on base. They had left 9 on base through 5.

 

[tider79]

Any day we beat the Viles is a great day...

 

[UA Press Release]

Bailey Hemphill’s Record-Setting Home Run Pushes Alabama Softball to 6-5 Win over Tennessee in SEC Tournament Semifinals - Alabama Athletics

Trailing 5-4 with a runner on base in the bottom of the sixth, Bailey Hemphill blasted a two-run home run to center field to become Alabama's career home run...

rolltide.com

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Trailing 5-4 with a runner on base in the bottom of the sixth, Bailey Hemphill blasted a two-run home run to center field to become Alabama's career home run leader and push the Crimson Tide to a 6-5 win over Tennessee, securing a spot in Saturday's SEC Softball Tournament Championship game against Florida.

After tying Kelly Kretschman's career record with two long balls yesterday, Hemphill launched herself into history with her 61st career homer Friday night to break Kretschman's record that has stood since 2001. The 61 home runs put her in a tie for fourth place in SEC history.

The win moves Alabama into the 2021 SEC Softball Tournament Championship game, where the Crimson Tide will face the top-seeded Florida Gators Saturday at 5 p.m. CT live on ESPN2. It marks Alabama's ninth appearance in the championship game, previously winning in 2012, 2010, 2005, 2003 and 1998. The Tide and the Gators have previously squared off four times for the tournament title, with Alabama winning in 2012 in Tuscaloosa and Florida winning in 2019, 2009 and 2008.

Alabama (44-7) trailed early after Tennessee (41-14) scored a run in the top of the first but the Tide answered right back with two in the bottom half of the inning on a pair of errors. A two-run home run from Taylor Clark in the bottom of the third extended the lead to 4-1 before the Lady Vols got a run back in the top of the fourth. With the score the same in the top of the sixth, Tennessee rallied to score three runs with two out and retake the late lead, 5-4.

In the bottom of the sixth, Alexis Mack reached on a one-out single to set up Hemphill for the big at-bat, smashing the fourth pitch to straightaway center to put Alabama back in front, 6-5. Montana Fouts (21-3) shut the door in the top of the seventh, striking out the side to send the Tide to the SEC Tournament Championship game.

Fouts was dominant again in the circle, striking out 13 batters over 6.2 innings pitched. Kaylee Tow had a 3-for-3 day at the plate, her eighth three-hit performance of the season and her team-leading 19th multi-hit effort. It also extended her hitting streak to eight games, as did Mack in the leadoff spot going 1-for-3 with a run scored.

FROM HEAD COACH PATRICK MURPHY​

"It was a great game; another incredible Tennessee-Alabama matchup. I have a lot of respect for Karen, Ralph and their team. It was a great game and I am glad our team was able to experience a pressure-packed, anxiety-filled situation. Our team needed to feel that and learn how to play through it and they did. Our fans were awesome again tonight and definitely helped us out as well. Around midnight last night, Kelly Kretschman texted me to congratulate Bailey and said it couldn't happen to a better person. We are all very proud of Bailey and home run number 61 could not have come at a better time."

HIGHLIGHTS​

• Alabama is now 43-26 all-time at the SEC Tournament, including a 5-3 mark vs. Tennessee
• The 43 wins are the second-most of any team in the SEC Tournament, only trailing LSU with 44
• The Crimson Tide will be appearing in its ninth SEC Tournament Championship, seeking its sixth title with previous wins in 2012, 2010, 2005, 2003 and 1998
• This will be the fifth meeting between Alabama and Florida in the SEC Tournament Championship, with the Gators winning three times (2019, 2009, 2008) and the Tide winning in 2012 in Tuscaloosa
• Bailey Hemphill's sixth-inning home run was the 61st of her career, passing Kelly Kretschman (1998-2001) for the Alabama career record and ties her for fourth in SEC history
• The Tide improves its win streak to 12 games, 11 of which have come over ranked foes
• Hemphill has now reached base safely in 14 straight games, while Alexis Mack and Kaylee Tow extended their hitting streaks to eight games

SCORING SUMMARY​

• T1 | Tennessee's Kiki Milloy scored on an RBI groundout (0-1, 0 Out)
• B1 | Savannah Woodard popped a bases-loaded infield RBI single off the pitcher's glove and an error on the play brought a second run home (2-1, 2 Out)
• B3 | Taylor Clark hit a two-run home run to straightaway center (4-1, 1 Out)
• T4 | Chelsea Seggern dropped an RBI single into left field (4-2, 0 Out)
• T6 | An infield single from Ivy Davis drove in a run (4-3, 2 Out)
• T6 | A wild pitch allowed the tying run to score (4-4, 2 Out)
• T6 | An RBI single up the middle from Cailin Hannon gave Tennessee the lead (4-5, 2 Out)
• B6 | Bailey Hemphill smashed a two-run home run to center field (6-5, 1 Out)

UP NEXT - ALABAMA AT SEC TOURNAMENT (TUSCALOOSA, ALA.)​

• Saturday, May 15 vs. Florida (ESPN2)

 

[TerryP]

Look at Emily Pitek at the :30 mark...



UA's coverage:

 

[RTB X Bot]

 

[50+yeartidefan]

Funny how florida- missouri ended in near
same way...
Missouri came back and took lead over Florida in 7th....
And then Florida won in bottom of inning

When Fouts came back in....Hemphill said she had fire in her eyes....to finish game...

Bama pitchers throw to many balls...wear down it appears...Fouts wasn’t very sharp...at all...still struck out dozen

why would Tennessee even pitch to Hemphill... thats just stupid...
Lol

why would Murphy leave Kilfyou in when she was so far off...pitches all over the place...just gave TN those runs... knows more than me...but.....as @Brandon Van de Graaff pointed out...hadnt even pitched since eary April...

on to Gators

 

[1CrimsonTider]

Look at Emily Pitek at the :30 mark...

Who is that? She's not on a roster.