NCAA Regional: Alabama vs. Alcorn State Quotes
5/21/2010 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 21, 2010
Recap | Box Score | Photo Gallery 
Alabama Quotes
Head Coach Patrick Murphy
Opening thoughts on Friday's victory:
"We talked about whoever we play, you play your best and respect the opponent by coming out and playing a great game. I think we did just that. Lauren Sewell did a really good job and Amanda Locke was awesome in the three batters she faced. We scored in every inning and that's what we do."
On the pitching of freshman Lauren Sewell:
"I knew she'd be fresh and ready to go. We told her on Monday that she was going to start. In one way it might have been too long for her to think about, but she did fine. I thought she was hitting her corners fairly well. She only had the two walks, it was a good job for her."
On facing Lipscomb and pitcher Whitney Kiihnl:
"She's very talented, spins the ball very well. Has a good up-pitch and a good change-up."
"To have the ERA that she does is very impressive."
Second baseman Kayla Braud
On the postseason atmosphere:
"It was awesome. The crowd was great today. It was great to come out. Lauren [Sewell] pitched great and it was easy to score runs with her pitching because she was shutting them down. It was a ton of fun."
On her home run:
"It was an inside pitch. I got the middle of it and hoped it had enough height to get out of the park. In that situation I was just looking to hit the ball to the outfield and drive some runs in."
On the importance of setting the tone early:
"It was incredibly important. If we don't come out in the first inning ready to play, they get some confidence and the game could get out of hand but I think we did a great job. That was what gave us the momentum to score every inning."
Shortstop Whitney Larsen
On facing Lipscomb tomorrow:
"They're a very talented team, obviously. If you're in the postseason, there's something you've done right the entire season. Obviously, their pitcher is very talented. Her numbers saw a lot about her skills. If we stay disciplined at the plate and play our game, then we'll be fine."
Alcorn State Quotes
Head Coach Kevin Montgomery
Opening statement:
"I thought it was a very good game. Alabama proved that they can swing the bat. They didn't get a whole lot of big hits, but they were able to get the first couple of hitters on and push them across. They started the game by scoring early. Now we just have to get ready for tomorrow."
On not capitalizing on the chances they had to score:
"We swung the bat pretty decent, but we just couldn't find any holes. Our bats had been flat the last couple of weeks. We showed that we hadn't played in a few weeks, but we showed some fight. We had a couple of chances to score and stay in, but we weren't able to get any across."
On the atmosphere:
"The crowd is great. They were on every pitch. That is a good thing to have that support. It was a good experience for our team. I don't think they let it bother them too much."
On Alabama's leadoff batter Kayla Braud:
"She's tough. You can tell they really know the field. They were bouncing the ball on the hard surface so it would jump up in the air. She's great. She can run, bunt, hit for power. We were just hoping she would hit it to somebody and we could throw her out."
