Alabama
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Mississippi State
Alabama Softball Sweeps Mississippi State with 8-1 Win Sunday
4/10/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Alabama softball rebounded from an early 1-0 deficit against Mississippi State Sunday afternoon at Rhoads Stadium to score eight unanswered runs and hand the Bulldogs an 8-1 loss, securing the series sweep for the Crimson Tide.
Alabama (35-7, 8-4 SEC) was especially efficient late in innings, scoring seven of its eight runs against Mississippi State (21-18, 2-10 SEC) with two outs. Five of the eight runs scored came off the bat of Marisa Runyon, who blasted a fourth-inning grand slam and a sixth-inning RBI double.
"She is really clutch," head coach Patrick Murphy said about Runyon. "She has been thrown into those clutch situations so many times and has come through, so we expected it. It's fun to watch."
At the top of the order, Haylie McCleney posted her sixth three-hit performance of the season, scoring three times and driving in one on a sixth-inning RBI triple. Eight of the team's nine starters on offense reached base safely in the game and all 14 of the team's offensive players saw time in the game. The Bulldogs turned to five different pitchers in the circle, with Mackenzie Toler (0-1) ultimately taking the loss. Sydney Littlejohn (16-2) threw 4.1 innings in the win for Alabama while Alexis Osorio pitched 2.2 shutout relief innings behind her.
"It's tough to get a sweep against any SEC opponent," Murphy said. "You can tell that Mississippi State brought in the cavalry today throwing five different pitchers. It was a big win for us. Every win in SEC play is a big one."
For the first time this weekend, Mississippi State took a lead over Alabama with a solo home run by Katie Anne Bailey in the top of the first. The Bulldogs remained in front until the bottom of the third when Leona Lafaele pulled an RBI single through the left side to score McCleney from third and tie the game at 1-1. After Lafaele stole second base in the next at-bat, Reagan Dykes dropped a single into right field to drive in Lafaele and give Alabama the 2-1 lead.
Still leading 2-1 in the next inning, Alabama looked to mount a two-out rally with back-to-back singles and a walk to load the bases for Runyon. The junior lefty turned on a 2-2 pitch and blasted a no-doubt grand slam into right field, pushing the Tide ahead 6-1. An RBI triple by McCleney in the sixth made it 7-1 and Runyon added the final run of the game later in the inning, driving in one on a wind-aided double that dropped in between three fielders in shallow right to make it 8-1.
Next up, Alabama makes a quick trip to Hattiesburg, Miss., on Tuesday, April 12 for a midweek road game against Southern Miss (20-22). The game is set for a 6 p.m. CT start time.
