Alabama
Kentucky
Alabama Forces Extras but Falls to Kentucky in Walk-Off Fashion to Drop Weekend Series
3/30/2024 4:05:00 PM | Softball
The Crimson Tide falls to 26-8 overall, 3-6 in SEC play
LEXINGTON, Ky. – For the second straight weekend, Alabama softball put together a seventh-inning rally to force extra innings but the Crimson Tide fell again as Kentucky walked it off in the bottom of the eighth to win, 4-3, and take the weekend series.
Some infield miscommunication in the second inning from Alabama (26-8, 3-6 SEC) allowed Kentucky (23-12, 2-7 SEC) to take the first lead of the game on an infield RBI single, but a strikeout ended the frame to limit the damage to one run. Jenna Johnson tied it up in the next half-inning, bouncing a solo home run off the top of the wall in left field. In the top of the fourth, a hit-by-pitch, single and walk loaded the bases for the Tide with nobody out before a passed ball moved everyone up 60 feet and plated a run. A walk loaded the bases again, but Alabama couldn't add another as it took a 2-1 lead to the bottom half.
The Wildcats loaded the bases with two out in the bottom of the fourth and a double in the gap from pinch hitter Karissa Hamilton drove in two to flip the lead back to the home team, 3-2. With the score the same in the top of the seventh, pinch hitter Kristen White led off the inning with a hard-hit single and moved up two bases on a pair of wild pitches to set up Kenleigh Cahalan for a game-tying RBI single through the right side. Kentucky loaded the bases with two out in the bottom of the seventh before a popup to Riley Valentine behind the plate ended the inning and sent the game to extras.
In the bottom of the eighth, a one-out walk and single put two on base before a double in the gap ended it to give the Wildcats the win and the series.
Highlights
- Alabama falls to 55-14 all-time vs. Kentucky, including a 25-8 mark in Lexington
- The series win is the fourth all-time for Kentucky over Alabama, including each of the last two meetings in Lexington
- The game was Alabama's second extra-inning game of the season
- Saturday marked the second time this season the Tide rallied to tie the game in the seventh inning, previously doing so last weekend vs. Virginia Tech (March 23, 2024) which also came off a game-tying hit from Kenleigh Cahalan
- Jenna Johnson's home run was her fifth of the season, marking the first time she has homered in back-to-back games since doing so in both games of a doubleheader at LSU on March 12, 2022
Scoring Summary
- B2 | Erin Coffel drove in a run for Kentucky with an infield single (0-1, 2 Out)
- T3 | Jenna Johnson bounced a solo home run off the top of the wall in left (1-1, 2 Out)
- T4 | Marlie Giles scored from third on a passed ball (2-1, 0 Out)
- B4 | A bases-loaded double drove in two for the Wildcats (2-3, 2 Out)
- T7 | Kenleigh Cahalan tied it up with an RBI single (3-3, 1 Out)
- B8 | Rylea Smith walked it off for Kentucky with an RBI double in the gap (3-4, 1 Out)
Up Next
- Tuesday, April 2 at Jacksonville State – Jacksonville, Ala. – 6 p.m. CT
- Friday, April 5 vs. Ole Miss – Tuscaloosa, Ala. – 6 p.m. CT
- Saturday, April 6 vs. Ole Miss – Tuscaloosa, Ala. – 5 p.m. CT
- Sunday, April 7 vs. Ole Miss – Tuscaloosa, Ala. – 1:30 p.m. CT
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