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There’s something special about this Alabama softball team.
The grit.
The toughness.
The way they respond when the moment gets heavy.
And on Saturday night inside Rhoads Stadium, the Crimson Tide proved once again why they belong on college softball’s biggest stage.
For the 16th time in program history, Alabama is headed back to Oklahoma City.
The Crimson Tide took down LSU, 4-1, in game two of the Tuscaloosa Super Regional to officially punch their ticket to the Women’s College World Series, and honestly, this team looks more than capable of making serious noise once they get there.
Alabama improves to 54-7 on the season with the win, while LSU’s season comes to an end at 40-19. It also marks Alabama’s first Super Regional victory since 2021 and the program’s ninth time winning a Super Regional in just two games. Even more impressive? Seven of those two-game Super Regional wins have happened right there at Rhoads Stadium.
That place was electric.
And this team fed off every second of it.
Saturday’s game wasn’t easy. It wasn’t clean. It was emotional, stressful, delayed for hours because of weather and filled with momentum swings.
But this Alabama team never blinked.
After two scoreless innings, Alabama finally broke through in the top of the third inning in the most chaotic way possible. Kristen White reached first and eventually scored thanks to three straight wild pitches from LSU, giving the Tide a 1-0 lead.
LSU answered immediately in the bottom half of the inning with an RBI single from Tori Edwards to tie the game, but Alabama wasted absolutely no time taking control back.
Alexis Pupillo crushed a solo home run to open the fourth inning, and it felt like the momentum instantly shifted back into Alabama’s dugout. For Pupillo, it was her second home run of the weekend and her 19th of the season, continuing what has been an unbelievable year at the plate.
Then came the dagger.
With two runners on and two outs later in the inning, Salen Hawkins delivered one of the biggest hits of Alabama’s season, dropping a single into left field that brought home two more runs and extended the lead to 4-1.
And after that, Alabama’s pitching staff slammed the door shut.
Vic Moten gave Alabama four strong innings before weather delays completely disrupted the flow of the game. Lightning and rain forced multiple stoppages totaling nearly four hours combined, but somehow the Crimson Tide stayed locked in through all of it.
That says a lot about this group.
Once play finally resumed for good, Jocelyn Briski came in and looked exactly like the ace Alabama fans have trusted all season long. She threw three shutout innings in relief to earn her fourth save of the year and helped seal Alabama’s trip to Oklahoma City.
What’s even crazier is how dominant Alabama’s pitching staff has been throughout the NCAA Tournament. LSU’s RBI single in the third inning was the only run Alabama’s bullpen has allowed in 33 innings during postseason play.
That’s dominance.
Head coach Patrick Murphy summed this team up perfectly afterward, calling them selfless, gritty, grateful and competitive... and honestly, those words fit this group exactly.
This Alabama team feels different.
They fight for each other.
They believe in each other.
And now, they’re four wins away from chasing a national championship in Oklahoma City.
Next stop: the Women’s College World Series.
Roll Tide.
Continue reading...
The grit.
The toughness.
The way they respond when the moment gets heavy.
And on Saturday night inside Rhoads Stadium, the Crimson Tide proved once again why they belong on college softball’s biggest stage.
For the 16th time in program history, Alabama is headed back to Oklahoma City.
The Crimson Tide took down LSU, 4-1, in game two of the Tuscaloosa Super Regional to officially punch their ticket to the Women’s College World Series, and honestly, this team looks more than capable of making serious noise once they get there.
Alabama improves to 54-7 on the season with the win, while LSU’s season comes to an end at 40-19. It also marks Alabama’s first Super Regional victory since 2021 and the program’s ninth time winning a Super Regional in just two games. Even more impressive? Seven of those two-game Super Regional wins have happened right there at Rhoads Stadium.
That place was electric.
And this team fed off every second of it.
Saturday’s game wasn’t easy. It wasn’t clean. It was emotional, stressful, delayed for hours because of weather and filled with momentum swings.
But this Alabama team never blinked.
After two scoreless innings, Alabama finally broke through in the top of the third inning in the most chaotic way possible. Kristen White reached first and eventually scored thanks to three straight wild pitches from LSU, giving the Tide a 1-0 lead.
LSU answered immediately in the bottom half of the inning with an RBI single from Tori Edwards to tie the game, but Alabama wasted absolutely no time taking control back.
Alexis Pupillo crushed a solo home run to open the fourth inning, and it felt like the momentum instantly shifted back into Alabama’s dugout. For Pupillo, it was her second home run of the weekend and her 19th of the season, continuing what has been an unbelievable year at the plate.
Then came the dagger.
With two runners on and two outs later in the inning, Salen Hawkins delivered one of the biggest hits of Alabama’s season, dropping a single into left field that brought home two more runs and extended the lead to 4-1.
And after that, Alabama’s pitching staff slammed the door shut.
Vic Moten gave Alabama four strong innings before weather delays completely disrupted the flow of the game. Lightning and rain forced multiple stoppages totaling nearly four hours combined, but somehow the Crimson Tide stayed locked in through all of it.
That says a lot about this group.
Once play finally resumed for good, Jocelyn Briski came in and looked exactly like the ace Alabama fans have trusted all season long. She threw three shutout innings in relief to earn her fourth save of the year and helped seal Alabama’s trip to Oklahoma City.
What’s even crazier is how dominant Alabama’s pitching staff has been throughout the NCAA Tournament. LSU’s RBI single in the third inning was the only run Alabama’s bullpen has allowed in 33 innings during postseason play.
That’s dominance.
Head coach Patrick Murphy summed this team up perfectly afterward, calling them selfless, gritty, grateful and competitive... and honestly, those words fit this group exactly.
This Alabama team feels different.
They fight for each other.
They believe in each other.
And now, they’re four wins away from chasing a national championship in Oklahoma City.
Next stop: the Women’s College World Series.
Roll Tide.
Continue reading...
