Alabama Closes Easton Bama Bash with 9-1 Run-Rule over No. 15/17 Virginia Tech

Sunday, February 23

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

12:30 p.m. CT

Alabama

10-6

Virginia Tech

12-3

Virginia Tech

Alabama

Alabama Closes Easton Bama Bash with 9-1 Run-Rule over No. 15/17 Virginia Tech

2/23/2025 4:39:00 PM | Softball

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The Crimson Tide posts its highest run total vs. a ranked opponent since 2022

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama softball closed out action at the Easton Bama Bash Sunday in emphatic fashion, earning the 9-1 run-rule win in five innings over No. 15/17 Virginia Tech.

Alabama's (10-6) nine runs scored vs. Virginia Tech (12-3) is its highest run total vs. a ranked opponent since defeating Georgia 9-0 on April 4, 2022, which also marked the Crimson Tide's last run-rule win over a ranked foe.

Alabama set the tone early against Virginia Tech, scoring a pair of runs in the first frame on an RBI double from Abby Duchscherer and an RBI single by Brooke Ellestad. Marlie Giles and Kristen White chipped into the scoring effort in the third inning, driving in three runs on a pair of singles to extend the lead to 5-0. Two more in the fourth made it a 7-0 game before the Hokies erased the shutout with an RBI double in the top of the fifth to make it 7-1. Needing two runs in the home half of the fifth to earn the run-rule victory, Giles and White reached base safely to lead off the frame and Larissa Preuitt drove both of them home two batters later to end the game at 9-1.

Duchscherer was 3-for-3 at the plate, giving her a weekend .714 batting average (10-for-14) as she earned Easton Bama Bash MVP honors. Brooke Ellestad tallied her third-straight two hit game while White posted her second of the weekend. In the circle, Jocelyn Briski (2-5) picked up the win in the circle with one run allowed on two hits across 4.2 innings with Catelyn Riley securing the final out of the fifth, stranding two on base.

Rhoads House Our House??#Team29 #RollTide pic.twitter.com/OqArHerVMe
— Alabama Softball (@AlabamaSB) February 23, 2025

FROM HEAD COACH PATRICK MURPHY

"I thought we did a great job adjusting. The first inning was awesome and we continued to put pressure on them all game long. Obviously, the last inning, getting to walk them off was a good feeling."

HIGHLIGHTS

The nine runs scored was Alabama most vs. a ranked opponent since defeating then-No. 15 Georgia 9-0 on April 4, 2022, which was also the Crimson Tide's last run-rule win over a ranked foe
Abby Duchscherer tallied her second-straight three hit game to bring her weekend batting average to .714 (10-for-14)
Larissa Preuitt's game-ending single extended her hitting streak to 10 games while Duchscherer improved hers to six, just two shy of her career long
Kali Heivilin has reached base safely in 13-straight games

GAME ONE SCORING SUMMARY

B1 | Abby Duchscherer bounced an RBI double off the wall in left (1-0, 1 Out)
B1 | Brooke Ellestad dropped an RBI single into shallow center (2-0, 1 Out)
B3 | A Marlie Giles single with the bases loaded drove in two (4-0, 2 Out)
B3 | Kristen White drove in Brooke Ellestad with an infield single (5-0, 2 Out)
B4 | Audrey Vandagriff scored from third on a wild pitch (6-0, 2 Out)
B4 | Kali Heivilin poked an RBI single into the right field gap (7-0, 2 Out)
T5 | Virginia Tech got on the board with an RBI double (7-1, 2 Out)
B5 | Larissa Preuitt drove in the winning runs with a two-run single (9-1, 1 Out)