⚾ 🥎 🥎 Softball Posts Second Shutout Over Louisville Sunday to Close Out Undefeated Weekend

[UA Press Release]

Alabama Softball Makes 2020 Home Debut Hosting Easton Bama Bash - Alabama Athletics

After two weeks on the road to start the season, Alabama (4-5) makes its 2020 home debut this weekend hosting the Easton Bama Bash at Rhoads Stadium

rolltide.com

Nineteen of the Crimson Tide’s next 20 games will take place at Rhoads Stadium

THIS WEEK: EASTON BAMA BASH
Tuscaloosa, Ala. – Rhoads Stadium

Friday, Feb. 21

• vs. Wichita State – 4 p.m. CT
• vs. Penn State – 6 p.m. CT

Saturday, Feb. 22

• vs. Louisville – 1:30 p.m. CT
• vs. Penn State – 4 p.m. CT

Sunday, Feb. 23

• vs. Louisville – 1:30 p.m. CT

SCOUTING ALABAMA

• Alabama heads into week three with a 4-5 record after winning three of its five games at last weekend's St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational
• The Crimson Tide earned a signature win last weekend with an 8-0 shutout over then-No. 1 Washington, marking just the seventh time a team has run-ruled the No. 1-ranked team in the USA Softball poll
• After two weeks on the road to start the season, the Easton Bama Bash begins a long home stretch for Alabama with 19 of its next 20 games taking place at Rhoads Stadium
• Alabama is ranked No. 9 in this week's D1Softball poll, No. 10 in the NFCA poll and No. 13 in the USA Softball and Softball America rankings
• This year's roster consists of 13 returnees from last year's SEC Championship squad along with seven newcomers, including six freshmen and graduate transfer Alexis Mack from Oregon
• Head Coach Patrick Murphy, last year's SEC Coach of the Year, returns for his 22nd season at the helm of the Crimson Tide

ALL-TIME VS. THE OPPONENTS
Overall vs. Wichita State: 1-1

• In Tuscaloosa: 0-0 | In Wichita: 0-0 | At Neutral Sites: 1-1
• Current Streak: Alabama +1
• Last Meeting: Feb. 16, 2013 - Fort Meyers, Fla. - W, 2-0

Overall vs. Penn State: 8-2

• In Tuscaloosa: 2-2 | In University Park: 0-0 | At Neutral Sites: 6-0
• Current Streak: Alabama +3
• Last Meeting: Feb. 9, 2018 - Gulf Shores, Ala. - W, 10-0

Overall vs. Louisville: 4-0

• In Tuscaloosa: 2-0 | In Louisville: 0-0 | At Neutral Sites: 2-0
• Current Streak: Alabama +4
• Last Meeting: Feb. 18, 2011 - Tuscaloosa, Ala. - W, 9-8

LAST TIME OUT: ALABAMA WINS THREE AT ST. PETE/CLEARWATER ELITE INVITATIONAL

• Alabama went 3-2 against a tough slate at last weekend's St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational
• The Tide started the weekend with a pair of wins on Thursday, defeating Liberty, 7-1, before handing then-No.1 Washington an 8-0 loss in five innings
• Alabama split its two Friday games, beating USF, 9-1, in five innings and falling to defending national champion UCLA, 7-0
• The Tide fell to then-No. 16 Oklahoma State in the weekend finale Saturday, 4-1
• Senior Alexis Mack led the offense over the weekend, hitting .417 (5-for-12) with four runs scored while also drawing five walks, good for a .611 on base percentage
• Junior KB Sides and sophomore Skylar Wallace led the team with six hits each, combining for seven runs scored and six RBIs
• Three different players hit a home run over the weekend's five games: freshman Abby Doerr vs. Liberty, senior Bailey Hemphill vs. Washington and junior Kaylee Tow vs. USF
• Freshman pitcher Lexi Kilfoyl made four appearances in the circle, including a one-hit shutout vs. No. 1 Washington. In total she posted a 1.91 ERA across 14.2 innings pitched with 16 strikeouts

LEXI KILFOYL NAMED SEC FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK

• A one-hit shutout over top-ranked Washington highlighted a stellar week in the circle for Alabama freshman Lexi Kilfoyl, who was announced as the SEC Softball Freshman of the Week on Monday
• Kilfoyl led the Crimson Tide pitching staff with 14.2 innings pitched across four appearances at last week's St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational, posting a 1-0 record with five runs allowed, four earned, while striking out 16
• Her first appearance of the weekend came in a start against No. 1 Washington, holding the Huskies scoreless on just one hit with six strikeouts in the five-inning, run-rule victory
• She made three more relief appearances over the weekend, including a pair of ranked matchups against No. 2 UCLA and No. 16 Oklahoma State where she pitched a combined 9.0 innings with five runs allowed and eight strikeouts
• The weekly honor is the first of Kilfoyl's career and the first for Alabama this season. The Tide have claimed 24 Freshman of the Week awards in program history, with Montana Fouts last doing so on May 6, 2019

RUN-RULES VS. NO. 1

• Alabama's run-rule win over then-No. 1 Washington marked just the seventh time in NCAA history that the No. 1 team in the USA Softball poll has lost via run-rule
• The preseason No. 1 Crimson Tide were on the losing end of a run-rule game the week prior to Florida State, making this the only time that the No. 1 team has lost via run-rule twice in the same season

Run-rule wins vs. No.1 (USA Softball poll)

1. Feb. 13, 2020 - No. 9 Alabama vs. No. 1 Washington - 8-0 (5)
2. Feb. 8, 2020 - No. 8 Florida State vs. No. 1 Alabama - 8-0 (5)
3. March 9, 2019 - No. 12 Arizona vs. No. 1 Florida State - 11-3 (5)
4. March 23, 2014 - No. 5 Washington vs. No. 1 UCLA - 10-2 (5)
5. April 24, 2010 - No. 13 Cal vs. No. 1 Washington - 9-1 (5)
6. April 12, 2008 - No. 7 Arizona vs. No. 1 UCLA - 8-0 (6)
7. March 22, 2003 - No. 8 Cal State Fullerton vs. No. 1 Arizona - 15-3 (6)

BAMA BASH HISTORY

• Alabama holds a 84-11 all-time record at the Easton Bama Bash, hosting the tournament every year but once since 1998
• This weekend marks Louisville's second appearance at the Easton Bama Bash, previously making the trip to Rhoads Stadium in 2011
• Penn State has never played in the Easton Bama Bash but has played in the Easton Crimson Classic in 2003 and 2005
• This will be Wichita State's first trip to Tuscaloosa
• Including this weekend's three teams, the Tide has welcomed 54 different teams to Rhoads Stadium for the Easton Bama Bash

HEMPHILL CLOSING IN ON UA CAREER HOME RUN RECORD, 200 RBIS

• Senior Bailey Hemphill's 49 career home runs ranks fourth all-time and sits 12 behind Kelly Kretschman's (1998-2001) career record of 60
• Hemphill hit nine home runs her freshman season, improved to 13 as a sophomore and tied the UA single-season record last season with 26
• Hemphill also owns 178 career RBIs, putting her within striking distance of becoming the third Alabama player with 200 RBIs
• Charlotte Morgan (2007-10) owns the UA record with 264 career RBIs and Kaila Hunt (2011-14) is the only other player to surpass 200, finishing with 215

UP NEXT: AT UAB

• Wednesday, Feb. 26 at UAB - 6 p.m. CT - Birmingham, Ala.

 

[UA Press Release]

Alabama Softball Routs Wichita State, Shuts Out Penn State in Home Opener - Alabama Athletics

Alabama softball persevered through chilly weather in its home opener Friday at Rhoads Stadium, powering past Wichita State, 13-2, before shutting out Penn S...

rolltide.com

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama softball persevered through chilly weather in its home opener Friday at Rhoads Stadium, powering past Wichita State, 13-2, before shutting out Penn State, 5-0.

Alabama's (6-5) bats were hot in the day's opening contest against Wichita State (5-8), with seven different players tallying a hit in the convincing 11-run win. Stellar pitching in the circle and timely hits resulted in a shutout over Penn State (5-7) in the day's second game, the Crimson Tide's second shutout victory of the season.

On the day, senior Alexis Mack was steady at the leadoff spot going a combined 4-for-6 between the two games with two walks and three stolen bases. Ten of Alabama's 18 hits on Friday were doubles, led by three from sophomore Skylar Wallace. SEC Freshman of the Week Lexi Kilfoyl (3-2) allowed just two runs, one earned, on two hits across 5.0 innings against the Shockers while sophomore Montana Fouts (1-2) was lights-out against the Nittany Lions, allowing just two hits and no walks with 11 strikeouts.

FROM HEAD COACH PATRICK MURPHY
"I thought everybody had really good at-bats in the first game. In the second game, when you face four different pitchers it's almost like playing in the MLB All-Star Game where there's a different pitcher every inning. You can't make an adjustment because it's lefty, righty, lefty then righty. I was really pleased with Jenna Johnson getting down the squeeze bunt. Alexis Mack was great as the leadoff, getting hits and turning the lineup over. She did a great job."

HIGHLIGHTS

• Alabama's hitting was well-balanced against Wichita State, with seven different players tallying a hit
• Wallace's two doubles against the Shockers are a career high and mark the first time a Tide player has hit two doubles in a game since Reagan Dykes on April 28, 2019 vs. Kentucky
• Mack's three hits vs. Penn State tie a season high and marks her third multi-hit game this season
• Senior Bailey Hemphill extended her reached base streak to nine-straight games
• The 11 strikeouts are the most for Fouts since fanning 12 against Arizona State in last year's NCAA Regional round (May 18, 2019) and it is her first walk-free game since facing Texas in the NCAA Super Regional round (May 23, 2019)

SCORING SUMMARY

• vs. Wichita State
  • B1st | With two on base, senior Bailey Hemphill pulled a single through the right side to score senior Alexis Mack from second (Alabama 1, Wichita State 0)
  • B1st | A bases-loaded walk to freshman Lexi Kilfoyl moved everyone up 60 feet (Alabama 2, Wichita State 0)
  • B1st | A bases-loaded single by junior Maddie Morgan drove in two to double the Tide's lead (Alabama 4, Wichita State 0)
  • B1st | A two-out fielding error extended the inning as another run came home (Alabama 5, Wichita State 0)
  • B1st | In her second at-bat of the inning, Mack laced a single up the middle as two runs scored (Alabama 7, Wichita State 0)
  • B2nd | A hard-hit single up the middle deflected off the Wichita State pitcher as sophomore Skylar Wallace came home on the RBI single from junior KB Sides (Alabama 8, Wichita State 0)
  • B2nd | Wichita State got a forceout at third with the bases loaded but a run came home on the fielder's choice RBI (Alabama 9, Wichita State 0)
  • B2nd | Wallace tacked on two more with a double to left field (Alabama 11, Wichita State 0)
  • T3rd | Kaylee Huecker led off the inning with a solo home run (Alabama 11, Wichita State 1)
  • T3rd | A fielding error extended the inning and scored another run (Alabama 11, Wichita State 2)
  • B4th | Wallace's second double of the day scored freshman Abby Doerr from second (Alabama 12, Wichita State 2)
  • B4th | In her first collegiate at-bat, freshman Karla Hice dropped an RBI double down the left field line (Alabama 13, Wichita State 2)
• vs. Penn State
  • B2nd | A bunt from freshman Jenna Johnson with two in scoring position moved both up 60 feet to drive in a run (Alabama 1, Penn State 0)
  • B2nd | A first-pitch single from Mack through the left side drove in Doerr from third (Alabama 2, Penn State 0)
  • B3rd | Morgan went opposite field for an RBI double to drive in Sides from second (Alabama 3, Penn State 0)
  • B6th | As a pinch hitter, senior Taylor Clark stood up at second after a double down the left field line to drive in Doerr (Alabama 4, Penn State 0)
  • B6th | Wallace laced a hard-hit double past the Penn State third baseman to add another run (Alabama 5, Penn State 0)

UP NEXT
Alabama continues play at the Easton Bama Bash on Saturday, facing Louisville at 1:30 p.m. CT and Penn State at 4 p.m. CT.

 

[Rsedge72]

Doerr and Fouts looked like they work on communication and chemistry over the week.
Fouts was crisp hit her spots.
Doerr seemed more settle with the speed and movement on Fouts pitches. Much improved

 

[RTB X Bot]

 

[UA Press Release]

Alabama Softball Posts Pair of Run-Rule Victories Saturday at Easton Bama Bash - Alabama Athletics

Alabama softball put on an offensive showcase in two run-rule victories Saturday at the Easton Bama Bash, defeating Louisville 9-0 in five innings and Penn ...

rolltide.com

The Crimson Tide run-rule Louisville in five innings, Penn State in six

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama softball put on an offensive showcase in two run-rule victories Saturday at the Easton Bama Bash, defeating Louisville 9-0 in five innings and Penn State 14-6 in six innings.

Alabama (7-5) opened Saturday defeating Louisville (5-8) 9-0 in five innings, led by five RBIs from junior KB Sides. The Crimson Tide were in an early hole against Penn State (5-7) after the Nittany Lions scored five in the opening frame but Alabama continued to chip away until a five-run fourth inning gave the Tide the lead and they kept rolling, eventually winning by run rule in the sixth inning, 14-6.

Sides and junior Maddie Morgan each ended the day with seven RBIs, accounting for over half of the Tide's total. The pair were tied for the team lead with three hits each along with senior Alexis Mack. Celebrating her senior day, Taylor Clark hit a two-run home run against Penn State, her second long ball of the year. In the circle, freshman Lexi Kilfoyl (4-2) fanned five across 5.0 scoreless innings while senior Krystal Goodman (2-0) took home the win in game two, throwing 5.0 innings with senior Sarah Cornell adding a scoreless sixth behind her.

FROM HEAD COACH PATRICK MURPHY

"I think today we had more of a battle mentality at the plate and never gave in. Last year we talked about just competing in the box. Halfway through the season last year we played a midweek game that we ended up winning but we struck out maybe seven times. The mentality needs to be that you're better than the pitcher once you step in the box, period."



HIGHLIGHTS

• Senior Bailey Hemphill stretched her reached base streak to 11 straight games
• Sides drove in a career-best five runs in against Louisville, coming off a triple, single and sacrifice fly
• Morgan's six RBIs mark a career high and it is the highest total for a Crimson Tide player since Peyton Grantham at Missouri on April 1, 2017
• Skylar Wallace scored a career-best four runs in the win over the Nittany Lions

SCORING SUMMARY

• vs. Louisville
  • B1st | Sides blasted a two-run triple that rolled to the wall in left center (Alabama 2, Louisville 0)
  • B1st | With Sides at third, Morgan laid down a squeeze bunt to drive her in (Alabama 3, Louisville 0)
  • B2nd | With the bases loaded and nobody out, sophomore Skylar Wallace drew a walk as everyone moved up 60 feet (Alabama 4, Louisville 0)
  • B2nd | Sides lifted a high fly ball to left with the bases loaded, allowing sophomore Savannah Woodard to tag up and score on the sac fly (Alabama 5, Louisville 0)
  • B3rd | With the bases loaded, Mack poked a single through the left side and everyone moved up a base (Alabama 6, Louisville 0)
  • B3rd | Wallace followed Mack's single with an RBI groundout (Alabama 7, Louisville 0)
  • B3rd | A bases-loaded single from Sides added two more runs (Alabama 9, Louisville 0)
• vs. Penn State
  • T1st | With the bases loaded, a double to right field drove in a pair of runs for Penn State (Alabama 0, Penn State 2)
  • T1st | A three-run home run padded the Nittany Lions' early lead (Alabama 0, Penn State 5)
  • B1st | A bases-loaded single from Morgan rolled all the way to the wall in center, clearing the bases and making it a two-run game (Alabama 3, Penn State 5)
  • B2nd | A sac fly RBI to left field from Sides made it a one-run game (Alabama 4, Penn State 5)
  • B2nd | With two on and two out, Morgan came through with an RBI single to tie the game (Alabama 5, Penn State 5)
  • T3rd | Destiny Weber hit her second home run of the day, a solo shot to give the Nittany Lions the lead (Alabama 5, Penn State 6)
  • B4th | On a single to shallow center, the PSU outfielder bobbled the ball to allow Wallace to score from third on the error and tie the game (Alabama 6, Penn State 6)
  • B4th | Freshman Abby Doerr laced a two-run double down the right field line to give Alabama the lead (Alabama 8, Penn State 6)
  • B4th | Clark smashed a two-run home run to straightaway center (Alabama 10, Penn State 6)
  • B5th | Another sacrifice fly from Sides increased the Tide's lead to five (Alabama 11, Penn State 6)
  • B5th | Morgan slugged a two-run home run to center field (Alabama 13, Penn State 6)
  • B6th | Wallace ended the game, putting the Tide ahead by eight with an RBI single to cap the run-rule victory (Alabama 14, Penn State 6)

UP NEXT
Alabama wraps up its weekend with a rematch against Louisville on Sunday, Feb. 23 at 1:30 p.m. CT.

 

[Rsedge72]

The sticks came to life yesterday. KB Sides and Maddie Morgan where on fire!!!
Goodman did her usual thing, 1 rough inning. Then looked solid, she’s a rock solid 4-5 inning pitcher. She will have that 1 awful inning EVERY outing. Overall, a solid day...
Also, now that Hemphill has some protection in front and behind the bombs will start coming...
Teams getting better

 

[TerryP]

KB Sides and Maddie Morgan where on fire!!!

Taylor Clark had a hell of a day ... good scene for her and her family on Senior Day.

 

[Rsedge72]

Taylor Clark had a hell of a day ... good scene for her and her family on Senior Day.

Yeah, I neglected to mention Taylor. Happy for her and her family.

 

[RTB X Bot]

 

[TerryP]

In the first inning today the Tide put their first batters on base which turned into the first three runs on the board. All three runners stole second base.

Batting third...Hemphill, with a stolen base?







Skylar weekend numbers:

6 for 10, 3 doubles, 1 homer, 12 RBIs, 8 walks,

 

[Rsedge72]

Overall a rock solid performance, saw improvement all over the field. Freshmen are swinging the bats, veterans seeing the ball better.
Tow in a bit of a slump, but she’s to good to stay there long. The errors where fewer this weekend, but still a few head scratchers on occasion.
Fours and Kilfoyl can be deadly combo!!!

 

[sean]

the 2 replies on that twitter page/post are from 2 different women....both named carol(e) smith.

 

[TerryP]

the 2 replies on that twitter page/post are from 2 different women....both named carol(e) smith.

What caught my eye when I saw the tweet was the batter is a righty, Skylar's HR to end the game came from the left. And, the image they used was Jenna Johnson (who also had a good weekend, three doubles as I recall.)

 

[UA Press Release]

Softball Posts Second Shutout Over Louisville Sunday to Close Out Undefeated Weekend - Alabama Athletics

Alabama softball concluded its weekend at the Easton Bama Bash Sunday with another lopsided victory, shutting out Louisville, 10-0, in five innings with a ga...

rolltide.com

The Crimson Tide outscored its opponents 51-8 over five games at this weekend’s Easton Bama Bash

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama softball concluded its weekend at the Easton Bama Bash Sunday with another lopsided victory, shutting out Louisville, 10-0, in five innings with a game-ending three-run home run from sophomore Skylar Wallace providing the exclamation mark on the run-rule victory.

The win was Alabama's (8-5) second shutout over Louisville (5-9) this weekend and its fourth run-rule win across the tournament's five games. In total, the Crimson Tide outscored its opponents 51-8.

Wallace led the team with five RBIs Sunday against the Cardinals, including the three-run home run, a bases-loaded walk and a sacrifice fly. It was another balanced offensive attack for Alabama with seven different players tallying a hit, including a 2-for-2 day with two runs scored from freshman Jenna Johnson batting ninth. In the circle, sophomore Montana Fouts (2-2) posted her second shutout of the weekend, striking out seven batters while allowing just five hits, all singles, across 5.0 innings.



FROM HEAD COACH PATRICK MURPHY
"I think the hitters getting on base was one of the big things that went right this weekend. Our team's on-base percentage was over .500 with two players over .700. We consistently had someone on base almost every inning. That sense of urgency was good on offense. We also had really good starting pitching. The only thing we have to work on is some team defensive stuff, but the hitters just battled hard all weekend. I was really proud of them."

HIGHLIGHTS

• Junior KB Sides and senior Alexis Mack extended their team-leading hitting streaks to six and five games, respectively
• Senior Bailey Hemphill has now reached base in 12 consecutive games, the longest streak on the team
• The home run was Wallace's first of the season, making her the sixth Tide player to hit at least one home run through the first three weeks
• Alabama's all-time record at the Easton Bama Bash is now 89-11

SCORING SUMMARY

• B1st | A Hemphill single to left field drove in Wallace from second (Alabama 1, Louisville 0)
• B1st | After a single from Sides to right field, an error allowed Hemphill to come home from third (Alabama 2, Louisville 0)
• B1st | Junior Kaylee Tow pulled a fly ball to deep right field as Sides tagged up at third and scored on the sacrifice fly (Alabama 3, Louisville 0)
• B2nd | With two on base, Mack laid down a bunt single and an errant throw moved everyone up to score a run (Alabama 4, Louisville 0)
• B2nd | A sac fly from Wallace brought in freshman Mary Greg Anderson from third (Alabama 5, Louisville 0)
• B3rd | A Louisville fielding error allowed a run to score for Alabama (Alabama 6, Louisville 0)
• B3rd | A bases-loaded walk to Wallace made it a seven-run game (Alabama 7, Louisville 0)
• B5th | Wallace ended the game early with a three-run home run to secure the run-rule (Alabama 10, Louisville 0)

EASTON BAMA BASH ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM

• Skylar Wallace (MVP) – Alabama
• Montana Fouts – Alabama
• KB Sides – Alabama
• Maddie Morgan – Alabama
• Chardonnay Harris – Louisville
• Carmyn Greenwood – Louisville
• Cassady Greenwood – Louisville
• Caitlin Bingham – Wichita State
• Bailey Urban – Wichita State
• Kennedy Legg – Penn State

UP NEXT
Alabama makes a quick midweek trip to Birmingham, Ala., facing UAB (8-6) on Wednesday, Feb. 26 at 6 p.m. CT.

 

[Bama News]

The Week Three That Was For Alabama Softball

A 5-0 Showing At The Easton Bama Bash Has Tide Feeling Better About Itself

www.si.com