Alabama
Pacific
Softball Sweeps Day One at the Stanford Nike Invitational
2/13/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
STANFORD, Calif. - Alabama softball tallied two big wins to open play at the Stanford Nike Invitational, shutting out Pacific, 13-0, before coming out on top in a back-and-forth slugfest with Stanford, 15-6.
The Alabama (9-0) made the difference in two very different games, scoring consistently throughout the game against Pacific (2-6) and piling on long rallies in a pair of key innings against Stanford (5-3). Between the two games, Haylie McCleney went 4-6 with six runs scored and four RBI while Demi Turner backed her up well in the batting order, going 5-8 with a team-leading seven RBI, including her first career home run against Stanford.
GAME ONE: ALABAMA 13, PACIFIC 0 (5 INNINGS)
Alabama tied a season high with 13 runs scored, as four different Tide players had multi-RBI performances. Turner went 3-4 out of the two-hole with two runs scored and two RBI while Danielle Richard backed her up in the three-hole with a 2-2 performance with three runs scored and two RBI. Leona Lafaele and Chaunsey Bell each drove in runs off hard doubles while Marisa Runyon legged out her first career triple, scoring two.
Tide starter Sydney Littlejohn (3-0) limited the Tiger offense to just three hits to remain undefeated on the year. Pacific starter Megan Walters (0-1) was chased after 3.1 innings, as she was credited with nine of the Tide's 13 runs on the day.
Alabama got the scoring started early as McCleney led off the game with a bunt single, stole second and was then driven in on an RBI single up the middle by Richard. Bell squared up and launched a solid double to the left-field gap to score Richard and Lafaele followed that with another double to the left-field wall to score Bell, making it 3-0.
After a wild pitch moved two runners into scoring position in the top of the second, Turner drove in the pair with a rocket single that short-hopped the Pacific third basemen to make it 5-0. Back-to-back walks loaded the bases but the Tide could not add any more to the lead as they headed to the bottom of the second leading by five.
With Turner on second base in the fourth inning courtesy of a bunt single and stolen base, Richard drove her home with an RBI single up the middle to make it 6-0. Later with the bases loaded, a fielding error in center field allowed three runs to cross, making it 9-0 as that ended Walters' outing in the circle with Carly Mortensen entering to pitch. Mortensen got Pacific out of the inning but the Tide came out of the inning with a nine-run lead.
An error in right field made it a 10 run game, as a single by Turner got past the right fielder to allow Kallie Case to score all the way from first on the E9. Later with runners at the corners, Carrigan Fain grounded out to the pitcher but drove in the run from third to make it 11-0. Marisa Runyon tacked on two more with a long triple to the left-center wall as the Tide entered the bottom half with a commanding 13-0 lead. Littlejohn retired the Tiger batters in order in the fifth to secure the complete-game shutout.
GAME TWO: ALABAMA 15, STANFORD 6
After seeing its 6-1 lead erased by Stanford in the fourth inning, the Crimson Tide answered right back with a big two-out rally in the fifth and some insurance in the seventh to win 15-6 in the back-and-forth slugfest with the Cardinal to close Friday action at the Stanford Nike Invitational.
The Alabama bats were led by Turner, who drove in five of Alabama's 15 runs off a three-run double and a two-run homer. Turner was part of a dominant top of the order for Alabama, who along with McCleney and Danielle Richard went a combined 6-11 with six runs and 10 RBI on the day. Freshman Alexis Osorio made the start and threw nearly 100 pitches through 3.1 innings pitched, but senior Lesile Jury (3-0) persevered for the win in relief, holding the Cardinal scoreless for the remainder of the game.
Stanford starter Haley Snyder (3-2) was hit hard in the loss, allowing 10 earned runs off nine hits in 4.2 innings pitched. Sophomore shortstop Kylie Sorenson had the big hit for the Cardinal, a three-run homer in the third inning, and eventually moved to pitch in relief in the fifth inning.
McCleney led off the game with an infield single and was later driven in on a Bell single to shallow left, putting the Tide up 1-0 early. Three walks in the bottom half loaded the bases for the Cardinal, which set up Leah White for the game-tying sacrifice fly as the teams were even at 1-1 through one inning.
In the top of the second, a great sacrifice bunt by Case moved two runners into scoring position with one away for the Tide with the top of the order due up. McCleney was intentionally walked to load the bases for Turner and she made Stanford pay, unloading the bases with a deep double to score three and make it 4-1. A double by Richard and a single by Jadyn Spencer drove in two more as the Tide opened up a sizeable 6-1 lead after two innings at bat.
Stanford chipped away at the lead in the bottom of the third, as Leah White hit an RBI single into shallow center to make it 6-2 and a towering three-run homer by Kylie Sorenson drew the Cardinal within one, down 6-5.
With two on and one away in the bottom of the fourth, a double by Stanford's Jessica Plaza tied the game at 6-6, ending Osorio's outing in the circle as Jury entered in relief with two in scoring position. A groundout and strikeout got the Tide out of the inning with the score knotted up at 6-6.
Danae Hays slid into first base to beat out a two-out infield single in the top of the fifth and that allowed the Tide to string together a big rally. A wild pitch moved Hays to second and Case drove in a pair of runs on a double to left field and advance to third on a throwing error. McCleney followed that with an RBI single to the same spot, scoring Case to make it 9-6, and Turner then connected for her first career long ball, sending a two-run homer over the center field fence to make it 11-6.
A three-run triple by McCleney in the seventh made it 14-6 and Carrigan Fain, pinch hitting for Richard, drove in McCleney on a groundout to make it 15-6. Stanford got a pair of runners on in the bottom half but it was too little, too late as a groundout ended it to give the Tide a nine-run victory.
Alabama continues action at the Stanford Nike Invitational on Saturday, facing Cal Poly at Noon CT before facing Stanford a second time at 2:30 p.m. CT.
