⚾ 🥎 🥎 NCAA Super Regionals 🥎 Alabama wins Super Regional for the 12th time in school history
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BamaFan334
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Alabama Shuts Out Texas, 3-0, in Game One of Tuscaloosa Super Regional - Alabama Athletics
Alabama softball was lights-out in the circle to open its Super Regional series against Texas Thursday night, shutting out the Longhorns, 3-0.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama softball was lights-out in the circle to open its Super Regional series against Texas Thursday night, shutting out the Longhorns, 3-0.
The shutout is Alabama's (56-7) first in Super Regional play since blanking Oklahoma in game two of the 2015 series. The Crimson Tide struck first against Texas (45-16) with a two-run home run from senior Merris Schroder in the third inning with an added insurance run from freshman Skylar Wallace on a fielding error in the fourth. The Alabama defense and freshman Montana Fouts (18-4) did the rest, with the rookie right-hander allowing just three hits and no walks in the complete-game shutout.
"Montana had a bounce-back game tonight with no walks and five k's against a very good team," UA head coach Patrick Murphy said. "It was just a much better performance. Steph [VanBrakle Prothro] told the team postgame that [Fouts] basically hit every spot except for the ball that was hit right back at her, and after that she just finished the deal. It was just a good opening Super Regional win."
Junior Bailey Hemphill's standup double in the fourth inning stretched her current reached-base streak to 35 games, tied for the second-longest in program history. A fifth-inning single from junior Elissa Brown improved her current hitting streak to four games, having earned a hit in every game of the NCAA Tournament so far. Sophomore Kaylee Tow drew a walk to improve her season total to 64, now just two shy of Cassie Reilly-Boccia's single-season record from 2010.
After two perfect innings for both teams, Texas got the first baserunner of the day in the top of the third on a one-out fielding error. A sacrifice bunt moved her into scoring position, now with two outs, before Fouts got out of the inning with a swinging strikeout. Sophomore Maddie Morgan was hit by a pitch to lead off the Tide half of the third and, with freshman pinch-runner Kloyee Anderson in at first base, an errant throw on a pickoff attempt moved her into scoring position. A sacrifice bunt pushed her up 60 feet and Schroder made the first hit of the day a big one, blasting a two-run home run to right field to put Alabama ahead, 2-0.
The Longhorns got their first hit of the day in the top of the fourth, a leadoff bunt single. Another single two batters later would put two on with one out but a strikeout and flyout would end the half-inning. Hemphill stared the bottom of the fourth with a standup double and, on a wild pitch, junior pinch-runner Taylor Clark moved up to third base. With one out and runners at the corners, a throw home on a groundout was in time for out number two but the batter was safe on the fielder's choice, putting two on base. A double steal coupled with an errant throw into left field brought a run home to make it 3-0 before a groundout ended the inning.
It remained a three-run game heading into the seventh, but Fouts and the Tide defense retired the Longhorns in order to close the door on the shutout victory.
Game two of the Super Regional series is set for an 8 p.m. CT first pitch on ESPN Friday, May 24 at Rhoads Stadium.
For the latest information on the team, follow @AlabamaSB on Twitter, BamaSB on Instagram and Alabama Softball on Facebook. General athletic news can also be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and AlabamaAthletics on Facebook.
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Bama News
A 2-run blast puts Alabama 1 game from Women’s College World Series
Alabama beats Texas in Game 1 of NCAA super regional.
Batting in the No. 9 slot, Merris Schroder could be the example Alabama coach Patrick Murphy uses when saying there aren’t holes in his lineup.
On Sunday, her homer kickstarted the comeback from down five to Arizona State. Then on Thursday against Texas, her blast to right field was enough for Alabama to land one game from the Women’s College World Series.
A 3-0 win over the Longhorns gives the Tide two chances to earn a spot in Oklahoma City for the first time since 2016.
Alabama (56-7) faces Texas again at 8 p.m. CT Friday in Game 2 of the best-of-three series.
A packed Rhoads Stadium erupted Thursday evening when Schroder lifted one high and deep with one out in the third inning. It had just enough to reach the Brickyard seating beyond the right field wall.
“I was just thinking to get the ball to the outfield and get (pinch runner Kloyee Anderson) in,” Schroder said. “When it went in the air, I got really excited because it went a lot further than I thought it was going to.”
Texas pitcher Miranda Elish remembered that pivotal moment.
“She capitalized on one of my mistakes,” she said. “I threw a pitch right down the middle and she drove it. You can’t do that to a batter with two strikes. Yeah, she just turned on it.
This was just the second time this season Schroder batted at the bottom of the Alabama lineup. The hit was especially meaningful for the Houston native who grew up in a Longhorn family. The burnt orange ties run deep enough that her dad was once a drum major in the marching band in Austin.
Alabama added another run in the fourth on a throwing error. Skylar Wallace was attempting a steal of third when the throw down went into the outfield. The second baseman dashed in without a throw to make it 3-0.
Tide freshman pitcher Montana Fouts was in control all night in the circle. She threw a complete game three-hitter with five strikeouts and perhaps more importantly, zero walks.
Murphy said he received a text from Fouts’ father last week after a shaky Sunday performance in the regional win over Arizona State. Dad said there are “iffy” games here and there that someone pulls through. Both agreed they hoped that one was buried in the past. It was.
Fouts said she felt “much looser” in the circle on Thursday while noting the line drive that clipped her shoulder late in the game was a glancing blow that had no impact on her game.
The Longhorns were 1-for-6 with runners on base. The lone hit was a single with a runner on first that did no further damage.
“I feel like she was bringing it a little bit,” said Texas second baseman Janae Jefferson after a 1-for-3 night. “It wasn’t too overpowering for us. We just have to attack the ball early in the count and be more aggressive.”
Texas fell to 45-16 with the loss. It survived a Game 1 loss in the regional round to rebound for the title by beating Houston twice on Sunday. Elish pitched all seven innings of both games and Texas coach Mike White said they’ll hand the ball to her again Friday facing elimination.
Softball Falls to Texas Friday, Forces Decisive Game Three Saturday - Alabama Athletics
Alabama softball jumped ahead to an early 4-0 lead, but Texas fought back to outscore the Crimson Tide 7-1 down the stretch, winning game two 7-5 to force a ...
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama softball jumped ahead to an early 4-0 lead, but Texas fought back to outscore the Crimson Tide 7-1 down the stretch, winning game two 7-5 to force a decisive game three Saturday at 1 p.m. CT on ESPN.
Alabama (56-8) scored three quick runs in the first inning and added another in the second. A three-run home run from Texas (46-16) cut the deficit to one in the third inning and another home run and a costly fielding error plated three, giving the Longhorns a 7-4 lead. A solo home run in the top of the fifth from junior Bailey Hemphill narrowed the gap to two runs, but that was the final tally of the day for either team.
This is Alabama's fifth Super Regional series that has stretched to three games, with the Tide 2-2 in previous efforts. Alabama defeated Stanford (2011) and Oklahoma (2015) in three games, but fell to Hawai'i (2010) and Florida (2017).
Hemphill's home run puts her one shy of Kelly Kretschman's single-season record of 25, which has stood since 1998. It also increases her RBI total to 77, just three shy of Marisa Runyon's single-season record from 2015. She has also reached base safely in 36-straight games. A first-inning walk to sophomore Kaylee Tow improved her season total to 65, just one away from Cassie Reilly-Boccia's school-record mark from 2010. Freshman Montana Fouts (18-5) took the loss in the circle.
After going hitless through the first two-plus innings on Thursday, the bats were quicker this time around for the Tide with sophomore KB Sides sending a single up the middle in the second at-bat of the game. Tow and Hemphill drew back-to-back walks behind her to put two on base, and a groundout to the right side pushed a run across to give Alabama the early 1-0 lead. With two in scoring position following the groundout, freshman Skylar Wallace laced a single into center field to drive them both home and open the lead up to 3-0 before a flyout ended the half-inning.
After a one-out walk to senior Merris Schroder in the top of the second, the excited crowd at Rhoads Stadium came to a standstill after a scary incident with Texas pitcher Miranda Elish being struck in the face. She was helped off the field by team trainers, with freshman lefty Shealyn O'Leary entering in relief. A wild pitch with two out moved Schroder to second and Sides chopped an infield single to the shortstop, with an errant throw down to first allowing Schroder to score and make it 4-0.
Back-to-back singles with one out in the bottom of the third put runners at the corners for Texas before Fouts entered the game in relief. Longhorn sophomore Mary Iakopo welcomed her to the game with a three-run home run, drawing Texas within one. Alabama would get out of the inning with a 4-3 lead.
Texas tied it up with another home run, a solo shot from MK Tedder leading off the bottom of the fourth. After back-to-back singles, Goodman re-entered the game to pitch for Alabama. A sac bunt moved the runners into scoring position and a walk loaded the bases. A costly fielding error plated two runs as Texas moved ahead 6-4 and an RBI groundout added another before a fly ball ended the inning with the score at 7-4.
A solo home run from Hemphill in the top of the fifth cut the deficit to two, but that was the final run scored for either team as the Longhorns held on for the comeback victory.
The teams will play for a chance to advance to the Women's College World Series, with game three of the weekend series set for a 1 p.m. CT first pitch on Saturday, May 25 live on ESPN.
For the latest information on the team, follow @AlabamaSB on Twitter, BamaSB on Instagram and Alabama Softball on Facebook. General athletic news can also be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and AlabamaAthletics on Facebook.
BAMAneck
Member
Until brown figures out how to stay in the box I think she needs to just hit away . I went back and looked at the last few games and even when she got on base and wasn’t called out for being out of the box , her foot was out .
Seems like the ump is really watching her in these last few games not so much the other teams slippers ( at least till Thursday night when the fans called out the female ump repeatedly and she finally called the Texas slapper out )
And murph panicked in my opinion taking Goodman out because he could see our offense had taken a sabbatical after the 2nd . And almost seemed ticked that the game announcers called him on the early hook .
Seems like the ump is really watching her in these last few games not so much the other teams slippers ( at least till Thursday night when the fans called out the female ump repeatedly and she finally called the Texas slapper out )
And murph panicked in my opinion taking Goodman out because he could see our offense had taken a sabbatical after the 2nd . And almost seemed ticked that the game announcers called him on the early hook .
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