Bailey Dowling Home Run Pushes Softball to Extra-Inning Win over Florida

Sunday, April 10

Gainesville, Fla.

3 p.m. CT

Alabama

33-5, 0

Florida

30-9, 0

Alabama

Florida

Bailey Dowling Home Run Pushes Softball to Extra-Inning Win over Florida

4/10/2022 7:36:00 PM | Softball

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The Crimson Tide secures the weekend series over the Gators with a 2-1 win in nine innings

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A ninth-inning solo home run from Bailey Dowling was the difference in Alabama softball's extra-inning win over Florida Sunday afternoon, securing the weekend series for the Crimson Tide.

Alabama (33-5, 10-4 SEC) has now won four-straight regular season road series at Florida (31-8, 7-7 SEC), previously doing so in 2019, 2016 and 2014. Dowling's home run was part of a 2-for-3 day at the plate, driving in both of the Tide's runs. Jenna Lord posted her second-straight two hit game while Ashley Prange extended her reached-base streak to 14 games. Lexi Kilfoyl (8-2) got the win in the circle with seven strikeouts and a season-high 8.0 innings pitched while Montana Fouts secured the final three outs in the ninth to earn her third save of the season.

It was a scoreless pitchers' duel through the first five innings, with Alabama's first hit of the day coming on a two-out triple from Prange in the sixth. After a walk put runners at the corners, Dowling battled through a 13-pitch at bat before roping a double up the middle, driving in the go-ahead runner though the trailing runner was called out at the plate to end the inning with the Tide ahead 1-0. Skylar Wallace quickly evened things up with a leadoff solo home run in the bottom of the sixth. A two-out single from Lord and a wild pitch put her in scoring position but a popup ended the inning as Alabama could not break the tie in regulation. The Gators put the potential winning run at third in the bottom of the seventh but a strikeout ultimately left her stranded 60 feet away to send the game to extra innings.

Leading off the top of the ninth, Dowling crushed a belt-high pitch down the left field line for a solo home run to put Alabama ahead 2-1. After a leadoff single for Florida in the bottom of the ninth, Fouts entered to pitch in the save situation. A sac bunt moved the tying runner into scoring position before a popup and groundout ended the game.

Highlights

Alabama improves to 45-39 all-time vs. Florida, including a four-game winning streak and a 23-13 mark in Gainesville
The Crimson Tide has won four-straight regular season road series in Gainesville (2022, 2019, 2016, 2014)
A win on Monday would give Alabama its third series sweep on the road over Florida (2019, 2001)
Sunday was the Tide's first extra-inning game of the season
The 8.0 innings pitched is a career high for Lexi Kilfoyl
The multi-hit game was Bailey Dowling's fifth of the season, with three of those coming in the last six games
Dowling's home run was her fifth of the season, tying her with Megan Bloodworth for second on the team trailing Ally Shipman (7)
Ashley Prange extended her reached-base streak to 14 games and Dowling to 11

Scoring Summary

T6 | Bailey Dowling sent an RBI double up the middle (1-0, 2 Out)
B6 | Skylar Wallace hit a solo home run (1-1, 0 Out)
T9 | Dowling led off the inning with a solo home run (2-1, 0 Out)

Up Next: at #7/6 Florida (Gainesville, Fla.)

Monday, April 11 – 6 p.m. CT – SEC Network

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