The fifth-ranked Alabama softball team improved to a 23-7 record after a 6-2 win over the UAB Blazers Wednesday night. The Crimson Tide benefited from the offensive firepower of junior Whitney Larsen and sophomores Amanda Locke and Kendall Dawson, who all homered in the contest.
“You always just want to keep your bats going,” Locke said. “I think UAB is a great school, and anytime you play a team like that, you’ve got to come out and give them your best game. I think we gain a lot because they are a great team, and we get to work on different things.”
Locke also contributed to the pitching staff, relieving starting pitcher Kelsi Dunne, who recorded eight strikeouts and allowed one run in five innings pitched.
While Alabama’s offensive production Wednesday night was impressive, it didn’t top the 21 runs the Tide had against South Carolina Sunday. Head coach Patrick Murphy said he thought his team could have played better against the Blazers.
“I was hoping for a little more offensive consistency up and down the lineup,” Murphy said. “We had way too many strikeouts looking. After we talked about it, that was the inning when Kendall [Dawson] hit a home run, then Whitney [Larsen] hit hers. I guess we’re spoiled after the 21 runs on Sunday.”
While Murphy said the Tide could have had better results offensively, he is proud of the defensive play this season. Alabama allowed a total of five hits and only two runs. Compared to the start of the season in which Alabama was replacing a talented veteran squad, Murphy sees progress being made.
“They did fine,” Murphy said. “We have had different people make really good plays. The infield is a lot better than when we first started. With Charlotte [Morgan] playing a little bit more first base, that’s some leadership on the infield. It’s a lot less of a concern than it was at the beginning.”
With the win, Alabama swept UAB on the season, but also recorded the Tide’s 300th win at the Alabama Softball Complex. The first team victory at the stadium came against, oddly enough, the Blazers. Murphy considers the milestone a good indication of the success the softball program.
“It’s pretty cool,” Murphy said. “We’ve done a really good job of winning at home. I hope this group realizes that when they step on the field, there should be a special feeling of magical competitiveness and they need to protect the turf. I think we’ve done a very good job of that from the very beginning of the program. Last year was great with the one-loss record, but we have a lot of good games at home left we need to take care of.”
Alabama will turn its attention next towards sixth-ranked Florida. The two SEC rivals will face each other this weekend starting Saturday at 1 p.m.
