Tide Softball Opens SEC Play at Fourth Ranked Tennessee
3/12/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball
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The eighth ranked Alabama softball team (24-4) will play the final three games of its 15 game road swing this weekend as the Tide opens conference play against the fourth ranked Tennessee Lady Vols (23-3).
The Tide leads the all-time series with the Tennessee 17-6 and is 7-3 all-time in Knoxville. Perhaps the most memorable game in the series was in the 2001 season when the Tide came to town on a season-opening 26-game winning streak. Alabama claimed the first game of the series, but the Lady Vols ended Bama's winning streak with a 7-4 upset victory in game two.
The series has seen its share of blowouts, a 10-run win by Tennessee in the first game; an 11-run win by Alabama in 2001 and a pair of eight-run wins by the Tide. However the last five games and six of the last seven have been determined by one run.
The Alabama offense likes seeing Knoxville show up on its schedule, the Tide has posted wins of 7-1, 11-0, 9-1 and 8-0 in its last six games there.
The Bama offense is led by senior Ashley Courtney who currently ranks second on the team with a .333 average but is the team leader in hits (28), runs (20), RBI (17) and stolen bases (13). Stephanie VanBrakle is the ace on the pitching staff with a 1.32 ERA, the seventh lowest in the SEC and a 10-2 record. Her 110 strikeouts rank third in the SEC. Chrissy Owens isn't far behind with a 1.39 ERA which is the eighth lowest in the conference, and she also ranks sixth in the league in strikeouts with 75.
This year's meeting marks the first time in the history of the series that both teams are ranked in the Top 10.
The two teams will get together for a doubleheader on Saturday with first pitch scheduled for 12:00 p.m. CT. The third and final game of the series will be played on Sunday at 12:00 p.m. CT. Fans can follow all the action on 90.7 FM WVUA where Chad Anderson will call all the balls and strikes. Live stats and audio will also be available at www.rolltide.com.
