Softball Sweeps Saturday Slate at the Easton Bama Bash

Saturday, February 17

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

11 a.m. CT

Alabama

8-0

St. Thomas

1-7

St. Thomas

Alabama

Softball Sweeps Saturday Slate at the Easton Bama Bash

2/17/2024 4:48:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Box Score vs. St. Thomas (PDF)Box Score vs. Virginia (PDF)Photo Gallery Photo Gallery 2

The Crimson Tide run-rule St. Thomas, 8-0, and edge out Virginia, 3-2

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama softball grabbed another pair of wins Saturday at the Easton Bama Bash, defeating St. Thomas 8-0 in five innings before holding out for a hard-fought 3-2 win over Virginia.

Alabama's (9-0) bats led the way vs. St. Thomas (1-7), scoring eight runs backed by 5.0 shutout innings in the circle from Jaala Torrence (3-0). The Tide scored three unanswered to start the second game against Virginia (4-4) before the Cavaliers narrowed it with two in the third inning. The pitching combination of Jocelyn Briski (3-0) and Kayla Beaver kept the score the same the rest of the way, earning the win and a save, respectively.

Larissa Preuitt was 3-for-5 between the two games, including an RBI triple to drive in the final run of the game against the Tommies. Abby Duchscherer was 1-for-2 in game one but failed to reach base against Virginia, ending her career-best hit streak at eight games. Bailey Dowling hit her first home run of the season, a solo shot against the Cavaliers. In the circle, Torrence and Briski each took home their third wins of the season while Beaver tallied her first save with the Crimson Tide, the eighth of her career.

From Head Coach Patrick Murphy

"Yesterday we were short a little bit on the run rule, but today we got it done. When you are the home team and there's a potential run rule in effect, that's the goal - to end it early so your defense doesn't have to go back out for another inning. It was really good offense all the way around. I also thought our defense played really well. The pitching was great all day, and that helped us squeak out a win in the second game against a really good Virginia team."

Highlights

Alabama has scored first every game so far this year, doing so five times in the first inning
The 8-0 win in five innings over St. Thomas marked the Tide's second run-rule victory of the season and its third shutout
Larissa Preuitt went 2-for-3 with two RBIs against St. Thomas, marking her ninth career multi-hit game and fifth multi-RBI game
Abby Duchscherer's career-long hitting streak came to an end at eight games
Jaala Torrence earned her seventh career solo shutout in the complete-game win over St. Thomas
Kayla Beaver threw 2.1 shutout innings in relief against Virginia, earning her eighth career save and first with the Crimson Tide

Scoring Summary: Alabama 8, St. Thomas 0 (5 Inn.)

B1 | With the bases loaded, Riley Valentine drew a walk to bring a run home (1-0, 0 Out)
B1 | Lauren Esman scored from third on a groundout (2-0, 0 Out)
B2 | Larissa Preuitt drove in Kali Heivilin with an RBI single up the middle (3-0, 0 Out)
B3 | Valentine scored on a fielding error in the outfield (4-0, 1 Out)
B3 | Kendal Clark ended an 11-pitch at bat with an RBI double (5-0, 1 Out)
B4 | Abby Duchscherer plated a run with a single to center field (6-0, 0 Out)
B4 | Valentine drove in Lauren Johnson from third on an infield RBI single (7-0, 1 Out)
B5 | Larissa Preuitt ended the game with an RBI triple to right (8-0, 1 Out)

Scoring Summary: Alabama 3, Virginia 2

B1 | Kali Heivilin pulled an RBI single through the left side, scoring Jenna Johnson (1-0, 2 Out)
B2 | Bailey Dowling hit her first home run of the season, a solo shot to left (2-0, 0 Out)
B2 | Larissa Preuitt scored on a bloop single from Lauren Johnson (3-0, 1 Out)
T3 | Virginia got on the board with a two-run single up the middle (3-2, 2 Out)

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

Sunday, Feb. 18 vs. Southern Indiana – 1 p.m. CT

For the latest information on the team, follow @AlabamaSB on X/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.