Alabama Softball Shuts Out Clemson, 6-0, to Advance to NCAA Regional Final

Saturday, May 22

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

11 a.m. CT

Alabama

47-7

Clemson

43-7

Clemson

Alabama

Alabama Softball Shuts Out Clemson, 6-0, to Advance to NCAA Regional Final

5/22/2021 2:37:00 PM | Softball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

The Crimson Tide has played in the regional final every year since 2003, winning every one since 2005

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama softball posted its second shutout of the weekend, defeating Clemson 6-0 to advance to Sunday's regional final.

Alabama (47-7) got another lockdown performance in the circle, with Montana Fouts (23-3) earning the complete game win with just four hits allowed, all singles, with a career-best 16 strikeouts and no walks. The Crimson Tide's win streak improves to 15 games, 13 against ranked opponents, and Alabama has not trailed at the end of an inning in 100 consecutive innings. The win also marked Alabama's 42nd-straight win in the regional round, stretching back to 2007.

The Tide took the first lead over Clemson (43-7) with a two-run single from Bailey Hemphill in the bottom of the third. The score remained 2-0 until the bottom of the sixth, when a bases-loaded single from Alexis Mack allowed two more to cross the plate and another two-run single from Hemphill increased the lead to 6-0, which proved final after Fouts struck out the side in the top of the seventh.

Mack and Hemphill each earned two hits batting at the top of the order, driving in all six of the team's runs, while Elissa Brown scored twice batting ninth.

Next up, Alabama will play in the regional final Sunday at 1 p.m. CT, facing the winner of Saturday night's final elimination game.

FROM HEAD COACH PATRICK MURPHY

"It was a great, high-caliber well played softball game. Kudos to Clemson. One of keys for us coming into today was that we were going to put the ball in play and make them make plays. Whether it's a ground ball, fly ball, line drive, whatever, because we know that [Cagle] is a very good pitcher. I thought we did a good job of that and Montana [Fouts] did the rest. Sixteen Ks and no walks, it was a great performance by her. The crowd was awesome. It was an old-time regional softball game at the Rhoads House."

HIGHLIGHTS

Alabama improves to 61-9 in regional play, including a 54-3 mark at home
The Tide has now won 42-straight games in the regional round, stretching back to 2007
Alabama improves its current win streak to 15 games, 13 of which have come over ranked foes
Alabama has not trailed at the end of an inning in 100 straight innings
Bailey Hemphill improved her reached base streak to 17 games
Drawing two walks, Hemphill now has 229 for her career, six shy of Arkansas' Devon Wallace in second place in SEC history and seven from SEC leader Amanda Lorenz from Florida
Alexis Mack improved her hitting streak to 11 games and Elissa Brown to 10
Montana Fouts now has 18 games with 10+ strikeouts, 12 of which have come against ranked teams

SCORING SUMMARY

B3 | Bailey Hemphill dropped a single into shallow right field, driving in Taylor Clark and Elissa Brown (2-0, 0 Out)
B6 | A bases-loaded single from Alexis Mack scored two (4-0, 2 Out)
B6 | Hemphill pulled a single through the left side to score two (6-0, 2 Out)

UP NEXT – NCAA REGIONALS

Sunday, May 23 vs. TBD – 1 p.m. CT

For the latest information on the team, follow @AlabamaSB on Twitter, BamaSB on Instagram and Alabama Softball on Facebook. General athletic news can also be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and AlabamaAthletics on Facebook.