After getting its 800th program win Friday and breaking attendance records Saturday, the Alabama softball team didn’t break records or reach milestones Sunday.
Instead, the No. 2 Crimson Tide provided an offensive explosion with a 19-4 win over South Carolina to sweep the series.
After four consecutive walks put the Tide up 1-0, the fun began.
With the bases loaded, Amanda Locke stepped to the plate and delivered a shot over the center field wall for her first career grand slam.
Then Jackie Traina sent a ball into orbit. Then Danae Hays followed. And just like that, it was 7-0 Alabama.
Locke said the only goal stepping to the plate was not striking out, but once the ball was hit, she knew it was gone.
“I was just thinking, keep the inning going,” Locke said. “They have good pitchers. They bring a lot of different looks. They bring a lot of different stuff to the plate. She was throwing a change-up in there and you have to pick a pitch you like and hopefully she throws it to you.”
Despite the hits and home runs, Alabama’s patience also proved key. The Tide took 10 walks in the game. Kaila Hunt took a walk that loaded the bases before Locke’s grand slam.
“We’d talked about it before the game that their pitchers had had a lot of walks,” Hunt said. “We knew we needed to be patient, but we couldn’t be passive at the same time. We took cuts on our pitches.”
After three strikeouts by Traina, head coach Patrick Murphy thought the game would have a different outcome.
“I thought it was going to be a pitchers duel. Then all of a sudden we put the seven on the board and it doesn’t become a pitchers duel. You never know.”
A solo home run in the second by South Carolina’s Chelsea Hawkins briefly brought the Gamecocks within six, but the Tide’s offensive power continued.
In the second, a collection of hits and walks continued the Tide’s run spree. Hits from Jazlyn Lunceford, Kaila Hunt, Cassie Reilly-Boccia and Jennifer Fenton combined with five walks gave the Tide nine runs to put Alabama up 16-1.
South Carolina struck again in the fourth, scoring three runs to make the score 16-4.
But again, Alabama dominated the plate. A sacrifice fly by Keima Davis scored Braud and back-to-back home runs by Lunceford and Hunt would put Alabama up 19-4.
Alabama’s depth has proved to be beneficial this season. Eight players had hits for the Tide.
“We’ve got kids coming off the bench that are hitting shots to center and left,” Hunt said. “Just to know that people on our bench have our backs is comforting.”
With the win, Alabama improves to 40-2 overall and 17-2 in the Southeastern Conference. The Tide continues its homestand Tuesday against Georgia State.
