Alabama Softball Falls in Close Battle with No. 2 UCLA, 5-3

Friday, February 17

Clearwater, Fla.

3 p.m. CT

Alabama

3-2

UCLA

9-0

Alabama

UCLA

Alabama Softball Falls in Close Battle with No. 2 UCLA, 5-3

2/17/2023 6:32:00 PM | Softball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

The Crimson Tide continues play in Clearwater Saturday vs. No. 20 UCF and Indiana

CLEARWATER, Fla. – In one of the marquee matchups at this year's TaxAct Clearwater Invitational, 15th-ranked Alabama fell in a close back-and-forth battle with No. 2 UCLA, 5-3, Friday night.

For the fourth time in its first five games, Alabama (3-2) scored first courtesy a first inning two-run home run from Ashley Prange before UCLA (9-0) responded in the bottom half with a grand slam to move ahead 4-2. Prange slugged her second homer of the game in the third inning, a solo shot that made it a one-run game but the Bruins got the run back in the next half-inning with an RBI single to push it to 5-3, which ultimately proved final.

The two homers marked Prange's fourth career multi-home run game, her first since opening weekend last season at Arizona. Larissa Preuitt also went 2-for-3 batting eighth, her second multi-hit game of her freshman season. Kenleigh Cahalan led off the game with a first-pitch single, the fourth time in the Crimson Tide's first five games she has reached base safely with the first at-bat of the game, including three hits and a walk. Montana Fouts (2-1) took the loss with 4.2 innings pitched while Lauren Esman went five-up, five-down in 1.1 relief innings behind her.

Highlights

Alabama has scored first in four of its five games this season, all of which came in the first inning
Kenliegh Cahalan has reached base safely in four of Alabama's five games in the first at-bat of the game, with three hits and a walk
With her first-inning home run, Ashley Prange has now hit at least one homer in three of the Tide's first five games so far this season
Today's game was Prange's fourth multi-homer game of her career, last doing so on Feb. 12, 2022 at Arizona
Montana Fouts' nine strikeouts pushes her career total to 895, just five shy of becoming the sixth player in program history to reach 900 Ks

Scoring Summary

T1 | Ashley Prange hit a two-run home run to left field (2-0, 0 Out)
B1 | A Jordan Woolery grand slam pushed the Bruins ahead (2-4, 0 Out)
T3 | Prange hit her second home run of the day, a solo shot (3-4, 0 Out)
B3 | UCLA answered right back with an RBI single to move back ahead by two (3-5, 2 Out)

Up Next: TaxAct Clearwater Invitational (Clearwater, Fla.)

Saturday, Feb. 18 vs. #20/20 UCF – 1:30 p.m. CT
Saturday, Feb. 18 vs. Indiana – 5 p.m. CT
Sunday, Feb. 19 vs. #6/7 Florida State – 4 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.