No. 12 Alabama softball struggled in its trip to Florida over the weekend, going 1-4 at the Clearwater Invitational.
The Crimson Tide once again played five games over a three-day span with two games Friday, two games Saturday and one game on Sunday. Here is how Alabama fared in its five games in Clearwater.
Game 1: San Diego State 4, Alabama 1
Pitcher Catelyn Riley started the Clearwater Invitational on the mound for the Crimson Tide. She began well, shutting out SDSU through the first three innings.
On the offensive end, Alabama struck first on the scoreboard. After left fielder Audrey Vandagriff drew a walk and stole second base to start the bottom half of the inning, Alabama shortstop Brooke Ellestad singled to left field to bring Vandagriff home.
With the Crimson Tide leading 1-0 in the top of the fourth inning, SDSU’s offense came alive. After Riley hit a batter and allowed a two-out single, the Aztecs’ Angie Yellen tied the game with an RBI single to center field.
San Diego State then took the lead in the fifth with a two-out double from infielder Jazmin Williams.
Riley was taken out of the game with two outs in the sixth inning, having pitched 5.2 innings while giving up 2 earned runs on seven hits. Relief pitcher Emily Winstead closed out the sixth but was replaced by pitcher Alea Johnson to start the seventh inning.
Johnson’s appearance in relief did not last long, either, as she walked the first two batters she faced and was promptly taken out for Jocelyn Briski. In Briski’s relief appearance, San Diego State extended its lead.
With the bases loaded and one out, the Aztecs scored a run off a fielder’s choice ground ball from catcher Cali Decker and kept the bases loaded. The next batter, Shannon Cunningham, brought the lead to 4-1 with a sacrifice flyout that scored Bella Espinoza.
The Crimson Tide tried to fight back as catcher Riley Valentine led off the bottom of the seventh with a single, but the offense could not get going, and the team dropped its second game of the season.
Game 2: Liberty 7, Alabama 6
Briski started the second on Friday poorly against the Flames, as Liberty took an early 3-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning off a 2-RBI triple from infielder Savanah Whatley and an RBI single from Savannah Woodard.
Alabama’s offense came to life over the third and fourth innings. In the top of the third, first baseman Alexis Pupillo singled to right field. With a Liberty fielding error, Ellestad and right fielder Larissa Preuitt scored to cut the deficit to 3-2.
The offense did not stop there. With one on and one out in top of the fourth inning, Alabama shortstop Salen Hawkins tied the game with a single to center field and brought home second baseman Kali Heivilin. Later in the inning, Alabama loaded the bases for Preuitt, who got a 2-RBI single to center and scored Hawkins and center fielder Kristen White as Alabama took a 5-3 lead.
But the Flames were not done. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Liberty roared back with 4 runs and took a 7-5 lead. Back-to-back RBI singles from Liberty infielder Alyssa Henault and Whatley tied the game, and a 2-RBI single from outfielder Rachel Roupe gave the lead back to the Flames.
Briski finished the day pitching 5.1 innings and giving up 7 runs on nine hits. Riley replaced Briski and closed out the sixth inning.
Alabama did its best to fight back and tie the game up, but it came to no avail. While the Crimson Tide did draw in one last run off a sacrifice RBI groundout from Heivilin, it was not enough to finish a late comeback.
Game 3: Alabama 9, Ohio State 5
Riley started the first game of the day on Saturday for Alabama as it took on the Buckeyes.
Ohio State jumped on Riley right away as left fielder Hadley Parisien hit a leadoff home run and gave the Buckeyes the early lead. Riley would quickly settle into the game, however, as she pitched 4.2 innings allowing just 1 run and three hits and striking out five batters.
It did not take long for the Alabama bats to heat up either. Vandagriff drew a leadoff walk and later stole second. Moments later, she stole third base and home plate off an Ohio State throwing error.
In the second inning, Vandagriff gave the Crimson Tide the lead as she drove in her second run of the game by singling to right field and scoring Hawkins.
Alabama scored 5 more runs over the next three innings, including a solo home run from Heivilin in the bottom of the third inning and a 3-run home run from catcher Marlie Giles, giving the team a commanding 7-1 lead. Giles led the team in the game with 4 RBIs off her three hits.
Winstead came in relief for Riley in the fifth inning. In the sixth inning, Winstead gave up 2 runs off an RBI double from Buckeye infielder Reagan Milliken and an Alabama fielding error that scored Milliken with the next batter.
Alabama packed on 2 more insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth inning from a sacrifice fly out from Pupillo that scored Vandagriff and a RBI double from Giles that scored Preuitt.
Briski closed out the game in the seventh inning for Alabama. In her one inning pitched, Briski loaded the bases from two walks and a single. Briski allowed 2 runs after walking catcher Jasmyn Burns and hitting Milliken with a pitch before forcing an Ohio State groundout to give Alabama its first win in Clearwater.
Game 4: UCLA 6, Alabama 3
Briski started Saturday’s second game against No. 4 UCLA. The game was a rematch of last season’s 2024 Women’s College World Series, where the Bruins handed Alabama its first loss in Oklahoma City.
Things were going well through five for the Crimson Tide both at the plate and on the mound. Briski pitched five shutout innings, allowed only three hits and struck out four batters.
At the plate, Vandagriff started things off in the first inning with a leadoff solo home run. The next inning, Heivilin homered to left center field and extended the lead to 2-0. After a single from White, Vandagriff doubled to center field and brought White home as Alabama took a 3-0 lead.
The Crimson Tide seemed to be on its way to victory until everything went awry in the sixth inning. The Bruins tied the game at 3 with 2 RBI singles and a bases-loaded walk.
But UCLA was not done. Bruins catcher Sofia Mujica hit a bases-clearing double to deep center field and gave UCLA a 6-3 lead in the sixth inning. Briski finished the game pitching 5.2 innings, giving up seven hits and 6 runs.
Once Alabama gave up the lead, it never was able to gain back any momentum as UCLA handed Alabama its third loss of the weekend.
Game 5: Oklahoma State 4, Alabama 3
Riley started the fifth and final game for Alabama in the event, and Sunday’s matchup was a pitcher’s duel against Oklahoma State starting pitcher Ruby Meylan. Riley pitched four innings, giving up just 1 run on five hits.
Alabama put itself on the board first with back-to-back doubles from Preuitt and Pupillo, who drove Preuitt in to score. Heivilin got an infield single to put pinch runner Kinley Pate on third base. Pate scored two pitches later after Valentine got an infield single from a Cowgirl fielding error that brought Pate home.
Briski came into the game in relief in the fifth inning of the game. She gave up a single to left fielder Tia Warsop and later allowed 1 run in the inning off an Alabama fielding error that put second baseman Rosie Davis on base and scored Warsop.
Alabama brought its lead back up to 2 runs in the top of the seventh inning. After Hawkins singled and advanced to second from a sacrifice groundout, Vandagriff singled to left field and brought Hawkins home to make it 3-1 Crimson Tide.
Again, Alabama seemed to be on its way to a win against a top-10 opponent, but in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Cowgirls made a ferocious late comeback. With Alabama leading 3-1 and Oklahoma State runners on first and second base with one out, designated hitter Tallen Edwards doubled to left field and brought home infielder Rachael Hathoot to cut the deficit to one run and put runners on second and third base.
Oklahoma State got its second out of the inning by way of Megan Delgadillo grounding into a fielder’s choice to Briski, who threw out Warsop at home.
With two on and two out, it was Rosie Davis who completed Oklahoma State’s comeback off a walkoff 2-RBI single and handed Alabama its fourth loss in five games.
