Across the Diamond: Alabama Heads to the Pacific Northwest
In what could potentially be the toughest test of the young season, Alabama softball will make their way to Seattle, Washington, for the three-day, five-game Huskies Classic.
The 11th ranked Crimson Tide will face top ranked Washington two times along with single games against BYU, Northwestern and Portland State.
Tuesday’s Shutout of UAB
After a first inning solo home run from true freshman Kaylee Tow, UAB threated to tie or take the lead with two runners in scoring position and one out but failed to score against Alabama’s Madison Preston.
Following the back-to-back singles from UAB’s Destini England and Katelyn Prater in the bottom of the first inning, Preston retired 12 of her final 14 batters before giving way to senior Alexis Osorio.
In her two innings of relief, Osorio overwhelmed UAB by fanning six batters to close out Alabama’s 10th win of the season.
Huge Opportunity in the Pacific Northwest
In last week’s Easton Bama Bash, Alabama notched a 3-1 record over the weekend including a two-game split with No. 13 Florida State.
This weekend’s trip to Seattle marks a return trip from a season ago when the Huskies defeated the Crimson Tide twice in late April. Washington enters the weekend as the top ranked team in college softball with an 18-0 record.
During his visit with reporters Monday evening, Patrick Murphy discussed the opportunities that come with playing and beating opponents like Washington and beating Florida State last Friday night.
“They’re huge because those top 10, top 15 opponents, those pay off at the very end when we’re sitting in here on Mother’s Day for the NCAA Selection Show.” Murphy said.
In addition to Washington, Alabama plays BYU who is coming off an NCAA Regional appearance and a West Coast Conference title.
Patrick Murphy Closing in on 1,000 Wins at Alabama
Almost a year ago, head coach Patrick Murphy clinched his 1,000th career win as a head coach.
Coming into the Huskies Classic, Murphy is at 997 wins as Alabama softball’s skipper and needs three wins to reach 1,000 wins with the Crimson Tide.
In 20 seasons in Tuscaloosa, he owns a 997-225 record and with three wins in Seattle would be the first coach in the SEC to get 1,000 wins exclusively at school within the conference.
College Softball Tidbits around Alabama
After going 4-2 in their six games in California, Mickey Dean’s Auburn Tigers return home to host the Wilson/DeMarini Classic. The Tigers will play two games against UNC-Wilmington, Western Carolina and Western Illinois from Friday to Sunday.
Following their loss to Alabama, UAB fell 6-4 Wednesday night to South Alabama. South Alabama outfielder went 3-5 with an RBI and three runs scored as she fell a single shy of the cycle. UAB and South Alabama play their final non-conference weekends of the season as the Blazers take on Louisville, IUPUI, Eastern Illinois and Miami (OH) in the Red and Black Classic while South Alabama battles Tennessee, Toledo and Charleston as part of the Tennessee Invitational.
Jacksonville State hits the road for Athens, Georgia, as they’ll take on Georgia, Radford and UNCG as part of the Georgia Bulldog Classic. The Gamecocks have lost six of their last eight games and will face a tournament field that is a combined 34-8.
More From Tide 100.9
