Softball Clinches Weekend Series over Kentucky with 3-2 Win Saturday

Saturday, March 19

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

2 p.m. CT

Alabama

24-3, 3-2

Kentucky

19-5, 0-2

Kentucky

Alabama

Softball Clinches Weekend Series over Kentucky with 3-2 Win Saturday

3/19/2022 5:30:00 PM | Softball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Photo Gallery

The Crimson Tide will go for the sweep Sunday at 1:30 p.m. CT

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama softball clinched the weekend series over Kentucky with a 3-2 win Saturday afternoon at Rhoads Stadium.

Alabama (24-3, 3-2 SEC) trailed after a first inning solo home run from Kentucky (19-5, 0-2 SEC) but answered right back in the home half of the inning with a two-run homer from Ashley Prange. The score remained 2-1 until the bottom of the fifth, when the Crimson Tide tacked on another run with a sac fly RBI from Jenna Johnson. The Wildcats made it a one-run game with an RBI groundout in the top of the sixth and put the potential tying run on base with one out in the seventh but a fly out and groundout ended the game and secured the series win for Alabama.

Prange's home run accounted for two of the Tide's three runs and continues her hot hitting weekend, following a double and triple in Friday's win. Abby Doerr went 2-for-2, her second multi-hit game of the season, while Johnson has driven in a run in two of her last three games. Lexi Kilfoyl (4-2) got the complete-game victory, tying her season high with seven strikeouts.

From Head Coach Patrick Murphy

"First, I just want to say thanks to the crowd again. I was telling [Kentucky] coach [Rachel] Lawson before the game that this was history in the making. All three games were sold out before a pitch was thrown and it's so awesome to see the fans out here. It's a win-win for the sport of softball and I can't thank them enough. It was a well-played game by both teams. We had a big hit in the first inning and Kilfoyl did enough all game to keep them at bay. They had a lot of people on base and she made really good pitches when she needed to. Jenna made a great play in left field there in the seventh inning and kept them off the board."

Highlights

Alabama improves to 54-11 all-time vs. Kentucky, including a 27-5 mark in Tuscaloosa, and has won each of the last five meetings
Ashley Prange is now hitting 3-for-5 this weekend with three runs scored, two RBIs and a double, triple and home run
Prange is now on a four-game hit streak, her longest of the season
Abby Doerr's two-hit day was her second of the season, previously doing so against Northwestern State (Feb. 26)
Lexi Kilfoyl tied a season high with seven strikeouts, her third game this season with 5+ Ks

Scoring Summary

T1 | Kentucky's Lauren Johnson hit a line drive home run (0-1, 1 Out)
B1 | Ashley Prange lifted a two-run home run to center field (2-1, 0 Out)
B5 | Jenna Johnson added a run with a sac fly RBI (3-1, 0 Out)
T6 | Kentucky cut into the deficit with an RBI groundout (3-2, 1 Out)

Up Next: vs. #8/11 Kentucky (TUscaloosa, Ala.)

Sunday, March 20 – 1:30 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.