⚾ 🥎 🥎 SEC Tournament: Alabama Softball Falls to Tennessee in SEC Tournament Semifinals, 7-6

[TerryP]

UofSC and A&M have gone to extra innings ... Bama game likely to start a half of an hour late.

 

[UAgrad93]

Game is in lightning delay as I type this out. May even be closer to 5. Anytime you get a flash of lightning or crack of Thunder, you have to restart that 30 minute clock.

 

[Brandon Van de Graaff]

The weather radar doesn’t look real promising for getting things going anytime soon.

 

[Rsedge72]

That’s what they get for having anything in Arkansas!!!

 

[Brandon Van de Graaff]

Bama start time is gonna be roughly 9 pm now.

 

[rick4bama]

It going to be midnight when these game are finish.

 

[bamanc50]

Here we are about to get started. Alright get ready. Beth Mowins will get us all up to date on Oklahoma.

 

[bama alum]

Helluva start!

 

[bama alum]

Bailey Dowling with a fluke of a double. Great hustle!

 

[Brandon Van de Graaff]

UA up 5-1. Sure would be nice if there was someone that had earned enough confidence to come in now and relieve Fouts and finish this game out while saving some pitches on her arm (she's at 78 through 4). Unfortunately, no lead feels safe these days without her out there...

 

[bamanc50]

Dowling scored but why would you have a slapper at the plate with 2 outs and a runner on 3rd?

 

[bama alum]

That was an ugly run (their D, our hitting), but a needed insurance run nonetheless.

@Brandon Van de Graaff , you're right. Fouts needs the rest of the night off. Surely Fouts could be subbed back in an inning later if she had to (very likely had to...).

 

[bamanc50]

Great double play!!!!!

 

[Brandon Van de Graaff]

@Brandon Van de Graaff , you're right. Fouts needs the rest of the night off. Surely Fouts could be subbed back in an inning later if she had to (very likely had to...).

You'd think. Getting this win feels really important though so maybe Murphy just wants to make sure he gets it... Bama is #13 in RPI with UGA and Arky right behind them... The selection committee usually seems to do some squirely stuff with the seeding/brackets, but I'd hope getting at least 1 win this week would put UA in good position to host and avoid a Supers matchup with OU or UCLA.

 

[bamanc50]

Alright Montana. Wrap this thing up!!

 

[Brandon Van de Graaff]

Roll Tide! Would love to beat Arkansas tomorrow... anything after that is gravy.

 

[UA Press Release]

Softball Rides Out Rain Delay and Beats Missouri, 7-2, to Open SEC Tournament Play - University of Alabama Athletics

Following a five-hour rain delay, Alabama softball came out swinging in a 7-2 win over Missouri late Wednesday night to open play at the 2023 SEC Softball Tournament

rolltide.com

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Following a five-hour rain delay, Alabama softball came out swinging in a 7-2 win over Missouri late Wednesday night to open play at the 2023 SEC Softball Tournament. The Crimson Tide will advance to play tournament host and No. 4 seed Arkansas on Thursday, May 11 at 7 p.m. CT.

A lengthy rain delay pushed the start of the game five hours past its originally scheduled start time, with Alabama (39-17) and Missouri (34-24) finally taking the field amidst a light rain at 9 p.m. CT. The Tide got the scoring started in the bottom of the first as Ashley Prange hit a towering solo home run to center field. Alabama continued to pass the bats down in the bottom of the second, scoring three runs on three hits and an error to push the lead to 4-0.

The Tigers got on the board with an RBI single in the top of the third before the Tide extended the lead back to four runs in the bottom of the fourth, as Bailey Dowling scored from third on a two-out wild pitch. A Kara Daly RBI single in the fifth made it a 5-2 game before Prange blasted her second home run of the day in the home half of the frame, a two-run shot that brought the game to its eventual final tally of 7-2.

Prange led the way offensively with a 3-for-3 day at the plate including two home runs and three RBIs. The three-hit performance was her second in the last four games and the two home runs ties her career high, last doing so against UCLA earlier this season (Feb. 17). Bailey Dowling was 2-for-3 with a career-best two runs scored, marking her 12th multi-hit game of the season. In the circle, Montana Fouts (23-9) threw her 23rd complete game of the season while striking out 10 batters. That gives her 302 strikeouts this season, making her just the third pitcher in program history to have two 300+ strikeout seasons.

From Head Coach Patrick Murphy​

"Firstly, I want to say thanks to everybody at Arkansas. I know this was a tough opening day with the weather and I appreciate everyone still being out here. I thought [Ashley] Prange was awesome tonight with two bombs and obviously Montana [Fouts] was as good as she's ever been. She may not say that, but that is a really good hitting Missouri team that was coming off a really good weekend. They came in this tournament with a lot of momentum and we knew that we needed to respect them coming into today."

 

[Rsedge72]

Dowling scored but why would you have a slapper at the plate with 2 outs and a runner on 3rd?

She can also hit for power. Not a slugger but can hit for power. This is why at least 1 of the freshman from last year transferred out.

 

[Rsedge72]

Roll Tide! Would love to beat Arkansas tomorrow... anything after that is gravy.

Would’ve felt better if the ladies could’ve run rules them in 5, and jet Tana’s pitch count in the 60-75 range. Personally I’d have felt better about her going another game.

 

[alabama mike]

Congratulations to our ladies! Best of luck as you continue in the tournament play.