Alabama
Ole Miss
Alabama Softball Clinches Weekend Series over Ole Miss with 11-7 Win Friday
5/7/2021 9:58:00 PM | Softball
For the second-straight game, every batter in the Tide’s lineup earned a hit
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama softball's offense stayed hot in an 11-7 win Friday night against Ole Miss to clinch the weekend series.
For the second-straight game, every batter in the Alabama (41-7, 17-6 SEC) lineup earned a hit, led by a 3-for-4 day from Kaylee Tow while Alexis Mack, Bailey Hemphill, KB Sides, Jenna Johnson and Elissa Brown each tallied two hits. The 16 hits as a team was the Crimson Tide's highest total in SEC play and just one shy of its overall season high. Krystal Goodman (8-1) threw six innings to earn the win against Ole Miss (34-18, 12-11 SEC) while Montana Fouts entered in the seventh to secure the final three outs.
Alabama took the early lead over Ole Miss in the first inning after Johnson dropped a two-run double into shallow left in between three defenders. With two on and one out in the top of the third, a double and back-to-back singles from the Rebels swung the lead in their favor, 3-2. With the bases loaded and two out in the next half-inning, a fielding error plated two runs for the Crimson Tide to make it 4-3 but Ole Miss quickly tied it back up in the top of the fourth with a two-out RBI single.
The first two batters reached base safely in the bottom of the fourth before Mack dropped a double into shallow center to score one, with an errant throw on the same play allowing the trailing runner to score and make it 6-4. A sac fly RBI from Hemphill tacked on another before a two-out single from Savannah Woodard drove in a run and an error on the play moved another across the plate to make it 9-4. Another fielding error extended the inning as a run scored to make it 10-4 before a fly out ended the frame. An RBI single from Sides in the fifth made it 11-4 but Alabama stranded two on base, unable to close out the run rule in five innings. The Rebels scored two in the sixth and one in the seventh but could not complete the comeback, with the Tide winning 11-7.
FROM HEAD COACH PATRICK MURPHY
"This was the second game in a row that every player in the lineup got a hit, so offensively it was a great game. We put pressure on them the whole time and even though I would have liked for us to end it early in the fifth, I thought we were really good up and down the lineup tonight. Our crowd was awesome and they got excited at the right times."
HIGHLIGHTS
- Alabama is now 62-6 all-time vs. Ole Miss, including a 32-2 mark in Tuscaloosa
- Since the game two loss to Florida on April 17, the Tide has won nine straight including eight over ranked opponents
- Alabama is 30-4 at home this year and 7-3 at home in SEC play
- With Saturday's win, the Tide has now won 6 of its 8 SEC series this season, including three at home
- The 16 hits are Alabama's highest total in SEC play this season and just one shy of its overall season high
- The game was the Tide's 10th with 10 or more runs, including two of its last four games
- Bailey Hemphill has reached base safely in 11 consecutive games while Alexis Mack, Kaylee Tow and Maddie Morgan each have five-game hitting streaks
SCORING SUMMARY
- B1 | Jenna Johnson dropped a ball in between three defenders in shallow left, scoring two on the double (2-0, 2 Out)
- T3 | Ole Miss' Jessica Puk hit a double to left field to drive in one (2-1 1 Out)
- T3 | The Rebels tied the game with an RBI single (2-2, 1 Out)
- T3 | An RBI single through the left side put Ole Miss ahead (2-3, 1 Out)
- B3 | A bases-loaded error allowed two Tide runs to score (4-3, 2 Out)
- T4 | Ole Miss tied the game with a two-out RBI single (4-4, 2 Out)
- B4 | Alexis Mack drove in one on a double to center field and a throwing error on the same play allowed the trailing runner to score (6-4, 0 Out)
- B4 | Bailey Hemphill drove in Mack from third on a sac fly RBI (7-4, 0 Out)
- B4 | A two-out single from Savannah Woodard drove in a run and another came home on an error (9-4, 2 Out)
- B4 | Another Ole Miss error extended the inning and allowed a run to cross (10-4, 2 Out)
- B5 | KB Sides drove in Bailey Hemphill from second with an RBI single (11-4, 1 Out)
- T6 | Jessica Puk singled through the left side to drive in two for Ole Miss (11-6, 2 Out)
- T7 | Ole Miss' Abbey Latham scored on a groundout by Tate Whitley (11-7, 1 Out)
UP NEXT – ALABAMA VS. OLE MISS (TUSCALOOSA, ALA.)
- Saturday, May 8 – 11 a.m. CT (SEC Network)
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.
