⚾ 🥎 🥎 Alabama Drops Back-and-Forth Series Finale to Mississippi State in Extra Innings, 12-9

[UA Press Release]

THIS WEEKEND: ALABAMA (34-1, 5-1 SEC) VS. MISSISSIPPI STATE (21-10, 1-5 SEC)
Tuscaloosa, Ala. – Rhoads Stadium

• Friday, March 29 – 6:30 p.m. CT
• Saturday, March 30 – 2 p.m. CT
• Sunday, March 31 – 1:30 p.m. CT

SCOUTING ALABAMA

• Alabama is 34-1 entering this week's games, owning a 5-1 record in conference play. The Crimson Tide currently sits atop the SEC standings
• Alabama is in the middle of a five-game home stand, which started Wednesday with a 4-3 win over Georgia Tech
• The Tide took its first loss of the season Sunday at Texas A&M, ending a streak of 33-straight wins. It marked the best start in program history, beating the previous record of 27-0 from 2001, and is the third-longest such streak in NCAA Division-I history
• Alabama is No. 4 in this week's USA Today/NFCA and ESPN.com/USA Softball top-25 rankings
• Seven of the Tide's regular starters are hitting above .300, led by sophomore Kaylee Tow at .388. Junior Bailey Hemphill is batting .340 with 15 home runs and an NCAA-best 51 RBIs, while junior Elissa Brown is second on the team with a .349 batting average and second in the SEC with 25 stolen bases

ALL-TIME VS. MISSISSIPPI STATE

• Overall: Alabama leads 60-10
• In Tuscaloosa: 28-2 | In Starkville: 25-7 | At Neutral Sites: 7-1
• Current Streak: Alabama +1
• Last Meeting: March 19, 2017 - Starkville, Miss. - W, 3-0
• Last Meeting in Tuscaloosa: April 10, 2016 - W, 8-1

LAST TIME OUT: ALABAMA EDGES OUT GEORGIA TECH, 4-3
A fifth-inning grand slam from junior Claire Jenkins made all the difference in Alabama softball's 4-3 win Wednesday night over Georgia Tech at Rhoads Stadium.

Alabama fell behind, 2-0, after a pair of RBI doubles by Georgia Tech in the third and fourth innings. The Crimson Tide started to gather some momentum in the bottom of the fifth, sparked by a leadoff single from junior Elissa Brown. A pair of walks eventually loaded the bases with one out, setting up Jenkins for the go-ahead grand slam. Alabama has now hit five grand slams over its last 11 games, already surpassing the season totals from each of the last three years.

The Yellow Jackets tried to rally in the bottom of the seventh, loading the bases with two out before an infield single moved everyone up 60 feet to make it a one-run ballgame. Alabama used three different pitchers in the inning, but ultimately it was junior starter Sarah Cornell who re-entered to secure the final out and earn her 13th win of the season.

ALABAMA AMONG THE NATIONAL LEADERS

• The Tide leads the SEC and ranks seventh nationally with 81 stolen bases, averaging 2.31 per game
• Alabama paces the conference and is fifth in the country with 55 home runs over 35 games, averaging 1.57 per contest
• The Tide's 253 runs scored ranks in the top-five, with its 7.23 runs-per-game average among the top-10
• Junior Bailey Hemphill is the national leader with 51 RBIs and is tied for fourth with 15 home runs
• Sophomore Kaylee Tow leads the NCAA with 39 walks, helping build a .575 on base percentage that ranks among the top-10
• Freshman Montana Fouts is second in the SEC and top-10 nationally with a 1.05 ERA, and her 6.53 strikeout-to-walk ratio ranks in the top-20

GRAND SLAMS

• After not hitting any grand slams through the first 24 games of the season, Alabama has hit five over its last 11 games
• The five over that span already surpasses the entire season totals from 2016, 2017 and 2018
• The UA single-season record for grand slams is seven, set in 2015. The Tide hit six in 2008, 2010 and 2011

2019 Alabama Grand Slams

• Reagan Dykes vs. Missouri - March 10
• Bailey Hemphill vs. Niagara - March 14
• Kaylee Tow vs. Niagara - March 15
• Bailey Hemphill at Texas A&M - March 23
• Claire Jenkins vs. Georgia Tech - March 27

HEMPHILL CLOSING IN ON SINGLE-SEASON TOP 10

• Through just 35 games, junior Bailey Hemphill is already closing in on multiple single-season top-10 marks at UA
• Her 15 home runs is already tied for 10th all-time at UA, the most since Leona Lafaele finished with 16 in 2016
• The single-season record for home runs is 25, set by Kelly Kretschman in 1998. The only other player to surpass 20 home runs in a season was Kaila Hunt with 21 in 2012
• Hemphill's NCAA-leading 51 RBIs is just nine shy of the single-season top 10 at UA. The single-season record is 80, set by Marisa Runyon in 2015

 

[UA Press Release]

Bases-Loaded Walk in Extra Innings Gives Softball the 3-2 Win Friday over Mississippi State - University of Alabama Athletics

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – After a late home run to tie the game and send it to extra innings, Alabama rallied back with a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the eighth to defeat Mississippi State, 3-2, in the series opener Friday at Rhoads Stadium.

Alabama (35-1, 6-1 SEC) trailed after Mississippi State (21-11, 1-6 SEC) scored a run in the top of the second, but a two-run single from sophomore Kaylee Tow in the fourth swung the lead in the Crimson Tide's favor. The score remained 2-1 until the Bulldogs tied it with a solo home run in the top of the seventh and Alabama could not score in the bottom half, sending the game to extra innings. After a 1-2-3 top of the eighth, the Tide loaded the bases in the bottom half and Tow battled to a full count, eventually taking ball four for the walk-off walk to win, 3-2.

Tow drove in all three runs from the leadoff spot, going 1-for-2 with three walks to extend her reached-base streak to 17 games. Senior Merris Schroder went 2-for-4, scoring the game-winning run in her seventh multi-hit performance of the season. In the circle, junior Sarah Cornell (14-0) pitched a season-high 8.0 innings to earn the win, allowing two runs, one earned, on eight hits with no walks.

Mississippi State took the first lead of the game in the top of the second, as a single, stolen base and throwing error advanced the runner to third and an RBI single from Montana Davidson brought her home. The Bulldogs went on to load the bases with two out, but an infield popup kept them stranded and limited the damage to one run.

The first two runners reached safely for Alabama in the bottom of the second and a sacrifice bunt moved them both into scoring position, now with one out. A pair of popups stranded them on base however, as it remained a 1-0 game. For the third-straight inning, the Tide got the leadoff batter on base in the bottom of the fourth. Two batters later, freshman Skylar Wallace reached on a bunt single and an errant throw allowed senior Reagan Dykes to advance to third. Wallace stole second base and, two batters later, Tow came through with a two-run single to center to give Alabama the 2-1 lead.

With the Tide still holding a 2-1 lead in the top of the seventh, Mia Davidson tied the game with a one-out solo home run. The Bulldogs stranded the potential go-ahead run in scoring position, with it knotted up at 2-2 in the home half of the inning. Alabama got the leadoff batter on base, courtesy of a walk to Tow, but could not score as the game went to extra innings.

After retiring Mississippi State in order in the top of the eighth, Alabama got its first two batters on base in the bottom half before a sac bunt moved the pair into scoring position. A walk loaded the bases with one out and, following a strikeout, Tow worked the count full and drew ball four for a bases-loaded walk to end the game.

The weekend series continues Saturday, March 30 at 2 p.m. CT.

 

[TerryP]

I'm still not a fan of this uniform combination. Why not white?

 

[RTB X Bot]

 

[UA Press Release]

Alabama Secures Weekend Series, Defeats Mississippi State 8-2 Saturday - Alabama Athletics

A trio of home runs and a solid performance in the circle helped lift Alabama softball to an 8-2 win over Mississippi State Saturday, clinching the weekend s...

rolltide.com

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – A trio of home runs and a solid performance in the circle helped lift Alabama softball to an 8-2 win over Mississippi State Saturday, clinching the weekend series for the Crimson Tide.

Alabama (36-1, 7-1 SEC) trailed early after Mississippi State (21-12, 1-7 SEC) plated a run in the top of the first, but a pair of home runs in the bottom half put the Tide ahead 4-1 and never trailed from that point on. The first of those home runs came from junior Bailey Hemphill, part of a 2-for-4 day with two RBIs. Sophomore KB Sides scored a pair of runs in the win, going 2-for-4 with an RBI. Senior Courtney Gettins (5-0) was locked in from the circle Saturday, allowing just two runs, one earned, over 7.0 innings pitched with four strikeouts.

Mississippi State threatened immediately, loading the bases with one out in the top of the first following a fielding error. A base hit up the middle scored one run before a double play ended the inning and got the Tide out of the jam, trailing 1-0. With one out in the home half of the first, Sides knocked a single into center field and Hemphill followed with a towering home run over the camera platform in center field to put Alabama ahead 2-1. After a walk, the Bulldogs made the early call to their bullpen. A strikeout put out number two on the board but senior Regan Dykes followed that with another two-run home run, knocking off the scoreboard as the lead increased to 4-1.

Mississippi State got another run back with an RBI single in the top of the second but Alabama quickly took back the three-run lead, scoring on a wild pitch in the bottom half to make it 5-2. Still 5-2 in the bottom of the fourth, sophomore Maddie Morgan drew a leadoff walk and freshman pinch-runner Kloyee Anderson stole second and third base before coming home on an RBI single from Sides. An errant throw on the play allowed Sides to move all the way to third base and then came home on a wild pitch, stretching the lead to 7-2.

Morgan made it an 8-2 game with a solo home run leading off the bottom of the sixth. Mississippi State got its first two batters on base in the top of the seventh, but Gettins and the Tide defense retired the next three straight to end the game and clinch the weekend series.

The series finale is set for a 1:30 p.m. CT start on Sunday, March 31.

 

[UA Press Release]

Alabama Drops Back-and-Forth Series Finale to Mississippi State in Extra Innings, 12-9 - University of Alabama Athletics


TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Despite a nine-run fourth inning that saw Alabama softball overcome an early deficit, some costly errors allowed Mississippi State to claw back to tie the game in regulation and defeat the Crimson Tide in extra innings, 12-9.

Alabama (36-2, 7-2 SEC) was in an early five-run hole to Mississippi State (22-12, 2-7 SEC) though two innings before scoring nine unearned runs in a big fourth inning to swing the score in the Crimson Tide's favor, 9-5. The Bulldogs took three back in the fifth inning to make it a one-run game and then tied it at 9-9 in the top of the sixth. After three scoreless frames, a three-run home run in the top of the 10th gave Mississippi State a 12-9 lead and Alabama stranded the bases loaded in the bottom half to end the game.

Seven of the Tide's nine starting batters earned a hit, led by a 3-for-5 performance from sophomore Maddie Morgan. Senior Reagan Dykes' sixth home run of the season gave Alabama the lead in the bottom of the fourth, accounting for three of the team's eight RBIs. Three pitchers split time in the circle for the Tide, with senior Courtney Gettins (5-1) ultimately tagged with the loss after 4.2 relief innings.

Mississippi State started the game with three-straight singles to quickly load the bases. A single plus a costly fielding error brought all three runners home and then a sacrifice fly two batters later made it a 4-0 lead for the Bulldogs. Mississippi State tacked on another with an RBI double in the top of the second and Alabama loaded the bases in the bottom half with one out but could not push a run across.

A fielding error and base hit to start the bottom of the fourth put two runners on for Alabama and another error on a dropped fly ball brought the runner in from second to make it 5-1. A groundout moved the two runners in to scoring position and sophomore Kaylee Tow brought them home with a single up the middle, cutting the deficit to two runs. Sophomore KB Sides laced a triple into the gap to make it a one-run game and, following a pitching change, junior Bailey Hemphill swung at the first pitch and sent it up the middle for a game-tying RBI single.

With two on and two out, Dykes came to the plate for a second time in the inning and smashed a home run to put the Tide ahead, 8-5. Later with two on base, junior Elissa Brown ripped a hard-hit infield single to scratch anther run across before the big inning ended on a strikeout with Alabama now ahead 9-5.

Some defensive miscues cost a trio of runs in the top of the fifth with the lead now trimmed to 9-8. Mississippi State continued to battle in the top of the sixth, loading the bases with one out and a single through the right side moved everyone up 60 feet and tied it at 9-9.

Neither team scored in the seventh, sending it to extra innings for the second time this weekend. The teams remained knotted up at 9-9 until Mississippi State hit a three-run home run in the top of the 10th. Alabama drew three consecutive walks to start the bottom of the tenth, forcing the Bulldogs to make a pitching change in the pressure situation. The Bulldogs got out of the jam, with a strikeout and pair of popups stranding the bases loaded to hand the Tide its second loss of the season.

Next up, Alabama closes out its five-game home stand Wednesday, April 3 against UAB at 6 p.m. CT.