A five-run fifth inning by the Georgia State Panthers sunk the No. 2 Alabama softball team 5-1 Tuesday night.
“We play fifty-six games, it’s bound to happen,” head coach Patrick Murphy said.
In the second inning, the Crimson Tide had the bases loaded with two outs, but a ground out to second base allowed Georgia State out of the inning with no damage.
In the third, with two outs once again, Alabama threatened with runners on first, but another ground ball would end the inning with no runs for the Tide.
It wasn’t until the fourth that Alabama was able to capitalize on a Georgia State error and score Jackey Branham and give the Tide a 1-0 lead.
The Panthers responded by posting a five-run inning filled with singles, errors and wild pitches.
Murphy said the missed opportunities cost the Tide.
“We had opportunities early and didn’t do anything,” Murphy said. “We score the one run on one of their errors, and they come back and have a big inning. That’s usually the way it happens. If you don’t take advantage of your opportunities early and they stay in the game, that’s going to happen. I think their pitcher got a little [confident]. When you see someone gaining confidence, that’s not a good sign, and we just didn’t do enough to score. They scored five runs to our one. You’ve got to give them credit.”
Freshman Leslie Jury started the game but was relieved by Amanda Locke in the fifth inning with the bases loaded. Murphy said Locke’s pitches weren’t in the zone but also noted the tough position in which she entered the game.
“You come in and the goal of the reliever is to keep the goal the same, and it was 1-0, and before you know it, it’s 5-1,” Murphy said. “It’s a hard situation when you come in with the bases loaded and no outs.”
The Tide’s four hits matched a season low, and the one run is the lowest score of this season.
With the loss, the Tide dropped its third game of the season, moving to 40-3 overall. The last Tide nonconference home loss dates back two years to March 6, 2010 to the No. 7 Michigan Wolverines in the Easton Challenge. The loss to the unranked Panthers marked the first nonconference, unranked home loss since a 2006 loss to Ohio State.
The Tide’s next game is in a conference series against Georgia in Athens, Ga. The series is scheduled to begin Thursday at 7 p.m., and will air on ESPN2.
