The previously No. 1 Alabama softball team dropped to No. 4 after three consecutive losses.
The Crimson Tide ended their skid with a 7-1 win over Tennessee this past Sunday. Now, the team will travel to Columbia, S.C., for a three-game series with the Gamecocks this weekend.
After losing the series to Tennessee, the Tide looks to extend its win streak past one against SEC opponent South Carolina. Alabama swept South Carolina in last season’s series at Rhoads Stadium.
“We’re looking for three wins. On the road, it’s going to be tough,” head coach Patrick Murphy said. “They’re opening a brand new stadium. It’s sold out all three games just like Tennessee was, but we’re just hoping to go in there and get three wins, come home and finally get to play at home again against Auburn the next weekend. It doesn’t matter who I put out there. I just hope whoever it is produces.”
After falling to Tennessee on Saturday on a walk-off single, Alabama rallied early to stop Tennessee.
“I think it was a good win, and our team did a lot of growing over the last few games. The good thing is that we’re on the incline; we’re getting better every single game and we’re finding our rhythm, our identity,” junior Kayla Braud said. “That kind of comes with it, and losing is part of that. You’re not going to win every single game, but the good thing is that we’re getting better, but we have a lot of work to do.”
The Gamecocks boasted a 13-5 record Wednesday when they played a double-header at Furman University. Alabama will open South Carolina’s SEC play.
“To be the visitor two weekends in a row is kind of tough in this conference, but, you know, we have four home [series] and four away [series]. It just happened that the first two are away,” Murphy said. “I think it will be really beneficial for us to score early in the series in every game because we are the visitor. It will take a lot of pressure off the starting pitchers, and I think it will give everyone some confidence.”
In SEC play so far, Alabama is 1-2. As of right now, the lineup has not been finalized.
“If it takes all 19 [players], it takes all 19,” Murphy said, adding that he still had two more practices at the time of the interview.
After the series at South Carolina, the Tide will host Georgia State on March 20 and Auburn for a series from March 22-24.
“It’s always great to play at home, and I think we’re only going to get better at home. It’s harder to play on the road,” Braud said. “You’re the away team. If you look back at the Tennessee series, the home team won in those two games because they were the last people to bat. I think if we had one more chance, we would’ve done it… I’m really, really looking forward to playing at home because where we’re comfortable and it’s where we can play our best game.”
