Tide Softball Defeats Toledo in Hampton Inn BAMA BASH! Championship
2/18/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. ?? The Crimson Tide softball team downed Toledo, 5-1, to win its seventh straight Hampton Inn BAMA BASH! championship on Sunday in Tuscaloosa.
Alabama has won eight of the 10 overall tournament championships and has now won 22 straight games in the tournament. Brittany Rogers (Dacula, Ga.) was named the 2007 BAMA BASH! MVP after hitting .647 (11-of-17) with six runs scored, one double, two home runs, seven RBI and five stolen bases. Her two home runs were inside-the-park with one coming from the left side of the plate and the other from the right side.
"I have to say that is not just about me," said Rogers. "I am so thankful that they (the coaches) put me in a spot where I can get on base. It is just a blessing to play and to know that my teammates are going to back me up so when I don't get on base they are going to do something behind me. We have a bunch of other people on the All-Tournament team that could have also deserved to be named MVP."
The Crimson Tide placed five total on the BAMA BASH! All-Tournament team. Joining Rogers were Mandy Burford, Ashley Holcombe, Allison Moore and Chrissy Owens.
In the title game, UA jumped out to an early 2-0 lead with a pair of runs in the first inning as Lauren Parker and Burford each scored on an error by Toledo's shortstop Lacey LeVier. Rogers put the Tide up 3-0 in the second with a double to score Katie Johnson.
Johnson scored again in the fourth inning with a solo home run to left center. It was the first home run of her collegiate career. She is the fifth Bama player this season to record their first career home run joining Rogers, Parker, Charlotte Morgan and Michelle Menningmann. Eight different Tide players have homered in just 10 games in 2007.
Parker led off the fifth inning with a triple. She was tagged out on a ground ball to third by Burford, but Burford then stole second and third and came in to score on a sacrifice fly by Morgan to make the score 5-0. The Rockets' Leslie Stong hit a solo home run in the sixth but that was all Moore, Alabama's pitcher, would allow as she pitched seven innings with two hits allowed, two walks and a career-high eight strikeouts. Moore, the local product from Tuscaloosa, picked up her first collegiate win on the mound.
"She (Allison Moore) deserved a chance and it just happened to be in the championship game," said Alabama head coach Patrick Murphy. "As you can see she did a great job. Pitching in a championship game, it doesn't matter if it is at home or on the road or wherever, it is pitching in the championship game of a tournament. I thought she pitched great. She was in control and didn't hurry at all. She didn't look flustered after she gave up the home run. I thought she did really well.
Burford scored twice in the game and stole two bases to set the tournament record with seven in her five games this weekend. Rogers went 1-for-3 with one RBI and Johnson hit 1-for-2 with two runs scored, one walk, one home run and one RBI.
Michigan State earned a 9-2 victory over Radford in the consolation game. The Spartans scored nine unanswered runs after the Highlanders put two on the board in the top of the first inning.
Radford jumped out to an early lead with two runs to start the game. Ashley Taylor drove in a run with a single and later came in to score. Michigan State rallied with two outs in the third inning to put four runs on the board. Traci Nicosia and Nicole Mercado each had RBI singles and Meghan Darhower drove in two runs with a single to put the Spartans ahead 4-1.
MSU tacked on three more runs in the fourth. Gina Mondo led off with a triple and scored on a single by Dana Rosenblatt. Nicosia would later hit a double to left field to drive in two runs to make the score 7-2. Michigan State added two more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to take a 9-2 win.
Nicosia went 2-for-4 with three RBI and a run scored. Mercado was 3-for-4 with a run and two RBI. Darhower also had two hits and Kara Weigle scored two runs and was 3-for-4. Rachel Turney pitched a complete game for MSU with six hits and two runs allowed to go with five strikeouts. Ashley Carlson and Anne Tatum each had two hits for Radford.
The Tide, now 10-0 on the season will host the Hampton Inn Crimson Classic next weekend at the Alabama Softball Complex. They will welcome to town Illinois State, #24 N.C. State, Western Kentucky and Winthrop.
2007 BAMA BASH! All-Tournament Team
MVP ?? Brittany Rogers, Alabama
Ashley Holcombe, Alabama
Allison Moore, Alabama
Mandy Burford, Alabama
Chrissy Owens, Alabama
Leslie Stong, Toledo
Ashley Taylor, Radford
Traci Nicosia, Michigan State
Kara Weigle, Michigan State
