Alabama Outlasts UNI in Thursday Pitcher’s Duel, 1-0

Thursday, February 29

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

6 p.m. CT

Alabama

17-0

UNI

8-4

UNI

Alabama

Kayla Beaver (19) celebrates with the outfielders after ending an inning vs. Northern Iowa (Feb. 29, 2024)

Alabama Outlasts UNI in Thursday Pitcher’s Duel, 1-0

2/29/2024 9:01:00 PM | Softball

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Kayla Beaver threw her second shutout of the season, striking out nine

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – A first inning RBI groundout was the entire offensive output for either team in a Thursday night pitcher's duel between Alabama and Northern Iowa, with Kayla Beaver and the Crimson Tide defense keeping the Panthers out of the run column for the 1-0 win.

Alabama (17-0) took the lead in the first inning over Northern Iowa (8-4) on a bases-loaded groundout as Jenna Johnson scored from third. The 1-0 score held the rest of the way behind solid defense and a complete game shutout from Kayla Beaver (6-0), striking out nine in her fourth complete game of the season and her second shutout. Of the season-high 117 pitches she threw, 75 went for strikes.

From Head Coach Patrick Murphy

"Kayla [Beaver] was extremely determined, gritty and resilient tonight. I know she felt that she didn't get a lot of calls out there, but sometimes you have to deal with that. She did and she pitched her butt off. Northern Iowa is a very good team. I think all four teams that are playing in this tournament this weekend will be in the NCAA Tournament. When it came down to it, Beaver made the pitches when she had to and we made a key play early in the game when Emma [Broadfoot] cut off the girl at home plate. That was a big out and she made another really nice play later in the game to get the lead runner out at second. There was some great defense behind her, but Beaver made the pitches when she had to."

Highlights

Alabama is now 7-0 all-time vs. UNI, including a 4-0 mark in Tuscaloosa
The Tide improves to 15-0 this season when scoring first and 10-0 when scoring in first inning
The game was Alabama's 10th error-free game on defense this season
The game was Kayla Beaver's fourth complete game of the season and her second shutout
Beaver threw a season-high 117 pitches, 75 of which were strikes
Jenna Johnson reached base twice on a walk and hit-by-pitch, extending her team-leading reached base streak to 13 games which is tied for her career best previously set in 2022

Scoring Summary

B1 | With the bases loaded, a groundout to the right side plated a run (1-0, 1 Out)

Up Next: T-Mobile Crimson Classic (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)

Friday, March 1 vs. South Alabama – 4 p.m. CT
Friday, March 1 vs. No. 19/21 Arizona – 6:30 p.m. CT
Saturday, March 2 vs. South Alabama – 1 p.m. CT
Saturday, Mach 2 vs. No. 19/21 Arizona – 3:30 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.