Alabama Softball Defeats Winthrop and Georgia Southern in Wednesday Doubleheader

Alabama ended its 12-game home stand with a pair of wins Wednesday afternoon at Rhoads Stadium, stretching its current win streak to 19 games. The Crimson Tide defeated Winthrop, 1-0, in a walk-off win before throwing a five-inning no-hitter vs. Georgia Southern, winning 9-0.

Alabama (26-2) tallied just two hits through six innings against Winthrop (11-14) before Chandler Dare came through with a clutch RBI single in the bottom of the seventh to win, 1-0. The offense came alive against Georgia Southern (12-11), plating nine runs in five innings while Alexis Osorio and Madi Moore combined to throw the fourth no-hitter of the season for Alabama.

GAME ONE: ALABAMA 1, WINTHROP 0

The two teams were locked in a pitcher’s duel for the majority of the game before the Tide came through in the bottom of the seventh to edge out the Eagles, 1-0. After hitting a walk-off home run on Sunday against Arkansas, Dare came through again Wednesday against Winthrop with a timely bases-loaded RBI single to score the winning run. Sydney Littlejohn (9-0) fanned a career-best 14 batters in the complete-game shutout, allowing four hits with just one walk.

With just two hits through six innings, Alabama quickly loaded the bases to start the bottom of the seventh on a hit-by-pitch and back-to-back bunt singles. Dare then pulled the first pitch of her at-bat off the wall in right field as Sydney Booker crossed home for the game-winning run by a final score of 1-0.

GAME TWO: ALABAMA 9, GEORGIA SOUTHERN 0 (5 INNINGS)

Runs came in bunches in the Tide’s second game of the day, scoring at least two in each of the four innings they came to the plate while Osorio (14-1) and Moore combined to throw a five-inning no-hitter, the fourth of the season for Alabama and the 33rd in program history. Demi Turner had three of the team’s seven RBIs from the leadoff position while Sydney Booker added two more from the eight spot with a fourth-inning double.

With two in scoring position and nobody out in bottom of the first, a passed ball scored the first run for Alabama and a squeeze bunt two batters later brought home another to make it 2-0. Back-to-back errors by the Eagle defense in the bottom of the second allowed the Tide to load the bases. Another walk brought one home but ball four in the at-bat bounced to the backstop, which allowed another runner to follow right behind her as the lead swelled to 4-0.

With the bases loaded again in the bottom of the third, Turner brought all three runners home with a hard-hit double to make it 7-0. In the bottom of the fourth with the bases loaded, Booker drove in two more with a double to push Alabama up 9-0, which ultimately proved final.

Next up, Alabama continues SEC play with a three-game road series in Starkville, Miss., against the Mississippi State Bulldogs (20-5, 1-2 SEC) starting Friday, March 17 at 6 p.m. CT.