Alabama
Arkansas
Tide Softball Sweeps Arkansas To Clinch SEC West
4/17/2008 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 17, 2008
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Top-ranked Alabama clinched the Southeastern Conference's Western Division with a doubleheader sweep of Arkansas on Thursday night in front of 286 fans at Lady'Back Yard.
The Crimson Tide took the opener, 4-0, behind a complete-game shutout by Kelsi Dunne. Charlotte Morgan followed up Dunne's performance with another complete-game shutout in a 3-0 triumph in the nightcap.
The Tide has reeled of 20-straight wins to improve to 41-3 on the season and 20-2 in SEC play. The 20-game winning streak is the third-longest in Alabama history, behind a 27-game streak in 2001 and a 25-game streak in 2007. Arkansas falls to 32-20 overall and 5-14 in SEC action.
The Crimson Tide returns home after a seven-game road trip to host South Carolina in a three-game set at the Alabama Softball Complex beginning with a doubleheader at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 19.
Game 1: Alabama 4, Arkansas 0
Kellie Eubanks gave the Crimson Tide the late-inning insurance they needed with a two-out three-run home run to left field in the top of the seventh inning as Alabama won the opening game of a doubleheader at Arkansas Thursday night, 4-0.
The Tide held a slim 1-0 lead and had stranded 10 runners on the afternoon before Eubanks' seventh blast of the season.
Dunne was spectacular in the circle with her eighth complete-game shutout of the season, surrendering just two hits. She improved to 17-3 on the season and fanned 10 for her seventh double-digit strikeout game of the season. Dunne retired the final 10 Razorbacks she faced with six of those going down by strikeout.
Ashley Holcombe jump started the seventh-inning rally with an infield single that extended her hitting streak to 13 games and brought Eubanks to the plate.
The Tide cracked the scoreboard in the top of the fourth on Rogers' two-out RBI single to right-center field. The single scored Eubanks, who ripped a single through the left side with one out in the inning.
Game 2: Alabama 3, Arkansas 0 (6)
Alabama completed the sweep in the nightcap with its second-straight two-hit shutout as Morgan mowed down the Razorbacks' lineup in a 3-0 win that went just six innings due to lightening.
Morgan (12-0) worked all six innings for her third complete-game shutout of the season. The southpaw allowed just two hits and struck out a season-high seven.
The reigning SEC Pitcher of the Week, Miranda Dixon (12-9), took the loss for Arkansas. She surrendered three runs on six hits over her six innings of work.
It didn't take Holcombe long to push her hitting streak to 14 games with a one-out double in the second inning that set the stage for Whitney Larsen's two-RBI double into left-center field. The 14-game hitting streak is the longest of any Alabama player this season and a career-best for Holcombe.
Montalvo plated the Tide's third run of the night in the top of the fifth inning with a RBI single past the Arkansas' third baseman, but a couple of pitches later she cost Alabama two runs.
With Montalvo on first base, Morgan absolutely crushed a Dixon pitch on a line out of the ballpark to left-center field, but Montalvo was called out for leaving first base early. Morgan's home run was negated, and she later singled to right field, but lost out on two RBI and her 13th home run of the season.
