Softball Advances to Sunday, Beating Cal 13-1
5/19/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball
TUSCALOOSA ?? The Alabama Crimson Tide found its scoring rhythm against Cal winning 13-1 in five innings in game five of the NCAA Softball Championships Tuscaloosa Regional.
“I thought everybody came in a pretty good frame of mind,” Alabama head coach Pat Murphy said. “And after that first game, I had a pretty good feeling about that second one.”
The Tide advances to Sunday’s game against Tennessee Tech starting at 1:30 p.m. CDT while Cal is eliminated. To advance to the NCAA Super Regional, Alabama will have to beat the Golden Eagles twice after losing to them on the regional’s first day.
“They’re on a roll and they’re hot and it’s going to be a fun day tomorrow and a tough, tough two games,” Murphy said of TTU. “I hope we get the biggest crowd of the weekend tomorrow because we’re going to need it.”
Hitting, which was a problem for the Tide against Tech, was no problem today. Alabama put together three four-run innings. The Tide’s 13 runs were the most runs it has scored in regional competition.
Kelley Montalvo went 3-for-3 at the plate against Cal and finished the day 6-for-7 with five runs, six RBI and five doubles over the two games. In all, eight different Tide batters got hits and seven scored runs. Montalvo, Brittany Rogers and Jordan Praytor all scored three runs. Montalvo, Praytor and Dani Woods all posted doubles while Rogers had a triple.
“If Brittany (Rogers) is getting on and Jordan (Praytor) is getting on, it’s like we know we’re bringing them in,” Montalvo said of Saturday’s offense. “It’s like a chain reaction. It’s like everybody’s going to hit. I think that’s where it started.”
Alabama’s Blair Potter earned her second win on the day to go to 18-2 on the season while Cal’s Marissa Drewrey took the loss, falling to 11-8.
