As conference play continues, the No. 13 Alabama softball team (26-11), concluded its two-week road trip with a successful series win over the Missouri Tigers (21-17) in Columbia, Missouri, over the weekend.  

Coming off a disappointing series loss to the Tennessee Lady Volunteers last week, the Crimson Tide returned with a much-needed response against the Tigers to hold its ground in the Southeastern Conference. 

Game one: 

In the first game of the series on Friday night, it was a rather slow start for both teams as neither could scratch a run across the board through the first three innings. However, an important fourth inning for Alabama gave it the momentum required to defeat the Tigers. 

After junior Bailey Dowling was walked, senior Jenna Johnson and junior Emma Broadfoot picked up singles of their own to load the bases for freshman Larissa Preuitt. With two outs in the inning, Preuitt proceeded to drill a ball out to deep right field for her first career homerun, resulting in a crucial grand slam.  

Missouri was not able to retaliate and eventually finished the game scoreless. Pitcher Montana Fouts controlled the matchup from beginning to end, striking out 12 batters and only giving up two hits as the Crimson Tide rolled to a 4-0 victory to start the weekend.  

Game two: 

The theme of a pitcher’s duel was prominent all weekend long, but especially in the second game of the series. Neither team was able to string together a big inning during regulation and the matchup entered extra innings with both teams scoreless. 

Following yet another scoreless inning in the eighth, the Crimson Tide needed to put together some runs and put the game out of reach.  

Alabama got its wish in the ninth inning when graduate student Ashley Prange began the top of the inning with a solo homerun for the first run of the game. However, Alabama did not stop there, as freshman Kenleigh Cahalan brought home two more with a double down the right field line. Cahalan got to cross the plate herself as well after Dowling singled to bring her home. 

Once again, the Tigers were not able to respond to the scoring outburst in the inning, and Alabama picked up its second straight shutout victory of the series with a 4-0 result. Fouts led the charge in the circle again for her team, picking up 14 strikeouts and only allowing five hits.   

Game three: 

For the third and final game of the weekend series, the Crimson Tide was not able to continue its proficient pitching from the circle and let Missouri take the last game of the series with a big   11-3 victory.  

Alabama took the first lead of the game following a solo home run by senior Ally Shipman to open the second inning and tacked on two more in the third inning after a two-run blast by Prange to give the Crimson Tide an early 3-0 lead over the Tigers.  

However, after failing to respond to the Crimson Tide’s scoring output previously in the series, it was a very different result this time around. The Tigers put together a massive scoring flurry of their own, featuring a five-run third inning to take a 5-3 lead. 

Missouri did not stop there though, as a couple more runs in the fourth inning were followed by a finishing blow, coming from a four-run fifth inning to complete the mercy rule victory against Alabama to end the series. 

Alabama will return to Rhoads Stadium on Thursday as it will host the South Carolina Gamecocks for a weekend series, starting Thursday, April 6, at 6 p.m. CT. 

UA Athletics did not respond to request for comment on this story 

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