Alabama Softball Battles for 10-5 Win Over UAB Tuesday

After falling behind twice in the first two innings, a four-run third inning put Alabama softball ahead for good in the eventual 10-5 win over UAB Wednesday night at Rhoads Stadium.

Alabama (20-7) tallied 11 hits in the win over UAB (10-20-1), including 2-for-3 days from freshman Elissa Brown, sophomore Gabby Callaway and seniors Sydney Booker and Demi Turner. Both of Booker’s hits were triples, marking the fourth two-triple game in program history and the first since Jordan Praytor on April 17, 2005. Sophomore Bailey Hemphill’s lone hit of the day was a three-run home run, pushing her season total to a team-leading six. Freshman starter Madison Preston exited after just 1.1 innings pitched while junior Courtney Gettins (7-2) earned the win in relief, allowing just two runs, one earned, on two hits over 5.2 innings.

The leadoff hitter for the Blazers reached on a fielding error in the top of the first, eventually stealing second and coming home on an RBI double to give UAB the early 1-0 lead. Brown led off the bottom of the inning with a slap single, stealing second before freshman Kaylee Tow was walked behind her to put two on with nobody out. A wild pitch moved the pair into scoring position and sophomore Bailey Hemphill battled to draw a walk and load the bases. Later with two outs, junior Merris Schroder was hit by a pitch as everyone moved station-to-station, plating a run to tie it at 1-1. A fielding error with two out allowed the inning to continue and an unearned run gave the Tide a 2-1 lead before a strikeout ended the frame.

UAB knotted it back up at 2-2 in the top of the second on an RBI double down the left-field line and retook the lead two batters later with an RBI single. After the Blazers loaded the bases with one out leading 3-2, Alabama turned to its bullpen as Gettins entered in relief. In the next at-bat, freshman Maddie Morgan fielded a grounder, touched third and fired to first for the 5-3 double play to get Alabama out of the inning trailing by one.

With two on and one out in the bottom of the third, Hemphill blasted an opposite field three-run home run to put the Tide in front 5-3. Callaway followed that with a double in the gap and Morgan drove her in with an RBI single up the middle to make it 6-3. With two on and two out in the bottom of the fourth, Booker laced a ball into the right-field gap, husting around for a two-run triple to stretch the lead to 8-3. Brown then chopped a high infield single, allowing Booker to easily score from third and make it 9-3.

After junior Reagan Dykes was hit by a pitch to lead off the bottom of the sixth, Booker drove her in with her second triple of the day, pulling one down the left-field line as the Tide now led 10-3. UAB started the top of the seventh with back-to-back singles, both of which eventually scored on a pair of groundouts to bring the score to 10-5, which ultimately proved final.

Alabama continues SEC play this weekend with a three-game home series against Ole Miss, starting Friday, March 23 at 6:30 p.m. CT.

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