Alabama Softball Notebook - April 21
4/21/2008 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 21, 2008
Week: 5-0
Overall Record: 44-3
SEC Record: 23-2 -SEC West Champions; 2nd SEC Overall
Exhibition: Tuesday, April 15: Team USA 7, Alabama 0
Thursday, April 17 (Gm 1): Alabama 4, Arkansas 0
Thursday, April 17 (Gm 2): Alabama 3, Arkansas 0 (6 inns.)
Saturday, April 19(Gm 1): Alabama 8, South Carolina 0 (6 inns.)
Saturday, April 19 (Gm 2): Alabama 8, South Carolina 0 (5 inns.)
Sunday, April 20: Alabama 6, South Carolina 0
Noting the #1 Crimson Tide
No. 1 Alabama (44-3, 23-2 SEC) went a perfect 5-0 against SEC competition this past week with an amazing five straight shutouts ... Alabama has reeled off 23 consecutive wins overall and has a 20-game winning streak in SEC play ... the Crimson Tide also got a chance to play the U.S. Olympic Team and former UA star Kelly Kretschman in an exhibition game at Liberty Park in Vestavia Hills, Ala., on Tuesday night ... the five consecutive shutouts are the second-most in school history and the most in a single season by UA against SEC competition ... Alabama took over the No. 1 spot in the USA Today/NFCA poll on Tuesday, April 15, while moving up to No. 2 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll ... junior center fielder Brittany Rogers became the Tide's all-time leading base stealer on Sunday against South Carolina as she swiped her 134th-career base, passing Kretschman (1998-2001) ... Rogers also tied her own single-season record on Sunday with her 48th steal of the year ... the Alabama pitching staff was spectacular with five complete-game shutouts to their credit this past week ... the pitching staff struck out 39 and walked just four while holding opponents to a .107 batting average ... Kelsi Dunne and Charlotte Morgan both notched two complete-game shutouts while Chrissy Owens finished things off in style on Sunday with a nine-strikeout, three-hit, complete-game shutout of her own ... at the plate, Kelley Montalvo posted a .533 batting average with four runs scored, three doubles, a triple and five RBI ... she reached base at a .588 clip and slugged .867 ... Morgan continued her power display with two home runs and seven RBI ... she narrowly missed out on another home run when Montalvo was called out ahead of the home run for leaving base early ... Morgan has 59 RBI this season, which ranks tied with Jackie McClain for the fourth most in a single season in UA history ... Kellie Eubanks also had a big week with a .417 batting average and four RBI ... Rogers stole five bases and Whitney Larsen hit .385 with four RBI ... Alabama's 94 doubles as a team are one shy of tying the school record set in 2005 ... UA finished off a seven-game road swing with a doubleheader sweep of Arkansas in Fayetteville Thursday ... Eubanks cracked a three-run home run in the seventh inning in the opener to give the Tide a comfortable 4-0 win as Dunne hurled her first complete game of the week ... Morgan then stifled the Razorback offense in the second game, allowing just two hits and striking out a season-high seven ... Morgan and Rogers paced the dangerous Tide offense in the opening game against South Carolina ... Morgan hit her 13th home run of the season to end the game with an 8-0 run rule as Dunne notched another complete game ... Morgan then went to work in the circle in game two of the doubleheader, allowing just three hits while also driving in two runs at the plate ... Morgan homered again in the series finale as Owens controlled USC in the circle with nine strikeouts.
Pitcher/Freshman of the Week Nominee
Kelsi Dunne * Freshman * P
Port Orange, Fla. / Spruce Creek HS
• Kelsi Dunne pitched two complete-game shutouts in her two starts this week and allowed just three hits. • She struck out 20 over 13 innings and held opponents to a 0.75 batting average. • Dunne began the week with a two-hit complete-game win at Arkansas where she fanned. • She then one-hit South Carolina on Saturday, striking out 10 Gamecocks in an 8-0 win in six innings. • Dunne has not allowed a run over her last 14 innings of work in the circle. • She improved to 18-3 with a 1.36 ERA and 192 strikeouts in 138.2 innings this season.
Player of the Week Nominee
Kelley Montalvo * Junior * 3B
Miami, Fla. / Pace HS
• Kelley Montalvo led the Crimson Tide offense in five wins this week and a .533 batting average. • She ripped three doubles and a triple while driving in five runs and posting a .588 on-base percentage. • Montalvo hit in all five games with three multiple-hit games. • She was 1 for 3 in both games at Arkansas with a RBI in a 3-0 win in the nightcap of the doubleheader. • Montalvo had multiple hits in all three games of the South Carolina series, hitting .667 (6 for 9) against Gamecock pitching with four RBI. • She had a triple and two RBI in the series opener and ripped two doubles in the final game of the series as the Tide completed the sweep.
Next Week
Wednesday, April 23: Birmingham Southern at Alabama, 4:15 p.m.
Wednesday, April 23: Samford at Alabama, 6:30 p.m.
