Alabama Softball Bats Stay Hot in Two Lopsided Saturday Wins

Saturday, February 25

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

11 a.m. CT

Alabama

10-2

Indiana State

4-4

Indiana State

Alabama

Faith Hensley greets her teammates at home after a home run on her senior day (Feb. 25, 2023)

Alabama Softball Bats Stay Hot in Two Lopsided Saturday Wins

2/25/2023 4:31:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Box Score vs. ISU (PDF)Box Score vs. SLU (PDF)Photo Gallery

The Crimson Tide run-rule Indiana State, 14-4, and Southeastern Louisiana, 11-0

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama's bats were scorching hot in a pair of lopsided run-rule wins Saturday at the Easton Bama Bash, with the Crimson Tide defeating Indiana State, 14-4, and Southeastern Louisiana, 11-0, in five innings each.

A mix of hits and errors put Alabama (11-2) in an early 2-0 hole against Indiana State (4-4) in the first inning, but Ally Shipman and Faith Hensley each hit two-run home runs in the bottom of the first to put the Crimson Tide ahead. The teams each traded scores over the next few innings before Alabama added some distance with three runs in the third and four in the fourth, with a three-run home run from Marlie Giles ultimately capping the 14-4 run-rule win. In the second game of the day against Southeastern Louisiana (10-2), the Tide got off to a hot start with five runs in the opening frame and continued to pile it on from there, scoring three in the second, two in the third and another in the fourth.

On the day, Hensley celebrated her senior day with a combined 3-for-4 day at the plate with five runs scored and four RBIs, including a pair of home runs. Shipman and Kenleigh Cahalan also had three hits on the day with home runs from both including the second inside-the-park homer of the season for Cahalan. She is the first player in program history to have two inside-the-park home runs in a season and just the second to have two in her career, joining Brittany Rogers who did so in 2007 and 2008. In the circle, Jaala Torrence (3-1) got the win against the Sycamores while Montana Fouts (6-1) took home the decision against the Lions.

From Head Coach Patrick Murphy

"You have to give a lot of credit to Faith Hensley on her senior day. A lot of times, the pressure builds too much because friends and family and relatives are here, but she had a great senior day. It may be one of the best ones we've ever had. She was on base five out of six times and hit two home runs. I couldn't be happier for her and the team. They were two really good games for us.

"We played much cleaner in the second game. I thought Montana pitched great and the defense was much better. The first inning was probably my favorite of the year – six straight batters reached. And six in a row means that we ended up with five runs just like that, which is how you bury some teams. You have to come out ready to play and those six hitters were terrific in that first inning."

Highlights

The 14 runs scored vs. Indiana State is Alabama's highest run total of the season
The two run-rule wins give the Tide four this season
They are the first back-to-back run rule wins for Alabama in almost a calendar year, beating Middle Tennessee 9-1 in six innings on Feb. 20, 2022 before defeating Louisiana four days later, 9-1 in five innings on Feb. 24
With the win over Indiana State, Alabama is now 5-0 this season when the opponent scores first
Kenleigh Cahalan is the first Alabama player to have two inside-the-park home runs in the same season and just the second to have two in her career, joining Brittany Rogers who did so in 2007 and 2008
With at least one hit in each game, Cahalan extended her career-starting hitting streak to 13 games, beating Haylie McCleney's previous best mark of 12 to start a career at UA
Hensley's home run in game one was the first home run and extra-base hit with the Crimson Tide and it was also her first multi-hit game at UA

Scoring Summary vs. Indiana State

T1 | A single and a fielding error brought the first run of the day home for Indiana State (0-1, 0 Out)
T1 | An RBI single tacked on another for the Sycamores (0-2, 0 Out)
B1 | Ally Shipman hit a two-run home run to left field to tie the game (2-2, 1 Out)
B1 | Faith Hensley lifted a two-run homer into center field (4-2, 1 Out)
T2 | Another fielding error plated an unearned run for ISU (4-3, 2 Out)
B2 | Hensley was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded (5-3, 2 Out)
T3 | An Isabella Henning solo home run scored another run for the Sycamores (5-4, 0 Out)
B3 | Kenleigh Cahalan pulled an inside-the-park home run into the right field corner, scoring two (7-4, 2 Out)
B4 | With the bases loaded, Kat Grill roped a single into center to drive in two (9-4, 2 Out)
B4 | Kristen White bunted to the pitcher and drove in a run from third (10-4, 2 Out)
B5 | An Abby Duchscherer sac fly RBI drove in a run from third (11-4, 1 Out)
B5 | Marlie Giles ended the game with a three-run home run (14-4, 2 Out)

Scoring Summary vs. Southeastern Louisiana

B1 | Ally Shipman poked an RBI single down the first base line to drive in a run (1-0, 0 Out)
B1 | Bailey Dowling cranked a bases-loaded double into the gap, scoring two (3-0, 0 Out)
B1 | Faith Hensley scored from third on a wild pitch (4-0, 0 Out)
B1 | Another wild pitch brought home a run for the Tide (5-0, 0 Out)
B2 | Dowling pulled a three-run homer down left field (8-0, 2 Out)
B3 | Kenleigh Cahalan crushed a two-run home run to right (10-0, 2 Out)
B4 | Hensley hit her second home run of the day, a solo shot to right (11-0, 1 Out)

Up Next: Easton Bama Bash (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)

Sunday, Feb. 26 vs. Kennesaw State – 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.