No. 2 Softball Team Outlasts Middle Tennessee
2/15/2008 12:00:00 AM | Softball
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. ?? Junior All-American Brittany Rogers provided the speed and true freshman Whitney Larsen supplied the knockout punch as the second-ranked University of Alabama softball team remained undefeated with a 6-0 win over Middle Tennessee on Friday night. It was the fourth and final game on day one of the 2008 Hampton Inn Crimson Classic.
“It may not have been our best performance of the year today, but we got two wins,” head coach Patrick Murphy said. “When your leadoff hitter is playing that way, it’s a lot easier to score runs, and our pitching staff did a nice job today, so I’m pleased for the most part with the way we played today.”
Rogers, who went a perfect 4-of-4 in a win over New Mexico in the Tide’s first game of the day, continued her torrid hitting in game two. The Dacula, Ga., native notched two more hits and scored twice. She stole two bases, giving her a team-high 12 steals on as many attempts.
In two games on Friday, Rogers went 4-of-6 from the plate, scored five runs, stole four bases and drove in one to spark the UA offensive attack. She has a team-high .741 batting average of and has scored 15 runs, also tops on the squad.
“She’s definitely the fastest player in Alabama history,” Murphy said. “If she gets the ball to bounce at all it’s an automatic hit and she’s almost impossible to throw her out stealing. If she gets to third you can count it as an RBI and it’s just such a great advantage with her at the top of the lineup.”
With the Tide clinging to a 3-0 advantage, two freshmen helped put the game away in the top of the sixth. Catherine Dozier doubled to score teammate Kellie Eubanks and Larsen, the next batter, hammered a soaring home run that banged off the scoreboard in left field, giving her team a six-run advantage.
It marked the second home run of the season for Larsen and her second in as many days. She blasted her first of the season in the Tide’s win over Georgia Tech on Thursday night.
“As a high school player Whitney was a great power hitter. I think she set the state doubles record, so I know she has some power,” Murphy said. “She has hit the ball really well the past few days. Cat Dozier really came up big for us too, starting at second base and getting that double, which was really key.”
That was more than enough for the pitching duo of Charlotte Morgan and Kelsi Dunne, who combined to hold the Blue Raider offense scoreless on one hit.
Morgan started and pitched four innings, giving up the sole Middle Tennessee hit in the bottom of the second while not giving up a walk. Dunne earned her first career save and maintained her unblemished 0.00 ERA, going three innings in relief with three strikeouts and one walk.
Lindsey Vander Lugt took the loss for the Blue Raiders, giving up 13 hits and six earned runs while going the distance in the circle. She struck out three and walked two. Leftfielder Martha Davis got the only Middle Tennessee hit in the game.
The Tide faces Georgia Tech in the second game of the day on Saturday beginning at approximately 1 p.m. New Mexico and Middle Tennessee square off in the opening game of day two, starting at 11 a.m.
Log on to the official athletic web site at UA, RollTide.com, for updates from the 2008 Hampton Inn Crimson Classic.
