Alabama softball rallied from a 2-1 deficit to Kentucky with a three-run fifth inning to earn the 4-2 win in the Friday's series opener at Rhoads Stadium.
rolltide.com
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama softball rallied from a 2-1 deficit to Kentucky with a three-run fifth inning to earn the 4-2 win in the Friday's series opener at Rhoads Stadium.
Alabama (23-3, 2-2 SEC) took the first lead over Kentucky (19-4, 0-1 SEC), as a first-inning triple from
Ashley Prange set up
Ally Shipman for a sac fly RBI to center field. An RBI single in the top of the third tied the game until an errant throw in the same play allowed another Wildcat runner to score, putting the visitors ahead 2-1. The Crimson Tide started to put the pressure on in the bottom of the fifth, loading the bases with one out before Shipman pulled a double through the left side, driving in two, and
Kaylee Tow followed that with an RBI single up the middle to make it 4-2.
Montana Fouts (13-0) and the Alabama defense took care of the rest, ending the game on a streak of 13 straight Kentucky batters retired.
Prange was 2-for-2 with a double and a triple, scoring twice, while Shipman drove in three of the team's four RBIs batting behind her fellow senior.
Dallis Goodnight was 2-for-3 batting ninth, marking her team-leading 11th multi-hit performance of the season. Fouts earned the complete-game win, striking out 10.
"It was a great performance by Montana [Fouts]. I know that she was probably a little disappointed and upset with the two runs allowed, but then I could see it in her face that it was full steam ahead. She did a great job all night because Kentucky is one of the best hitting teams we'll face all year for sure. Taking the early momentum in a series is important, especially against a top-10 team. The defense was a little bit better than Wednesday, just one little mistake, but Montana covered it up from there and we had better at-bats as the game went along."
Highlights
- Alabama improves to 53-11 all-time vs. Kentucky, including a 26-5 mark in Tuscaloosa, and has won each of the last four meetings
- The Tide is 20-3 this season when scoring first and 11-1 when scoring in the first inning
- The game was Ashley Prange's second this season with multiple extra-base hits, previously hitting two home runs and a triple on opening weekend at Arizona (Feb. 12)
- Dallis Goodnight leads the team with 11 multi-hit games, with today marking her second straight
- Ally Shipman leads the team with 11 multi-RBI games, five better than the next-highest total on the team
- Fouts now has six appearances with 10+ strikeouts this season and 34 over her career
Scoring Summary
- B1 | Following an Ashley Prange triple, Ally Shipman lifted a ball to center field for a sac fly RBI (1-0, 1 Out)
- T3 | An RBI single tied the game and then a throwing error on the same play allowed another to cross (1-2, 2 Out)
- B5 | Shipman roped a one-out double through the left side, scoring two (3-2, 1 Out)
- B5 | Kaylee Tow sent an RBI single up the middle (4-2, 1 Out)
Up Next: vs. #8/11 Kentucky (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
- Saturday, March 19 – 2 p.m. CT
- Sunday, March 20 – 1:30 p.m. CT
