The Alabama softball team held off a late South Carolina rally to earn a 7-6 victory to earn the series sweep, Sunday afternoon at the new Carolina Softball Stadium. With the victory, the Tide improves to 26-3 overall and 4-2 in Southeastern Conference play.
It took four innings for the Tide bats to get going, scoring all seven runs in a two-inning span, with four in the fourth and three in the fifth. Alabama banged out 12 hits, led by senior Kayla Braud, who batted 3-for-5 with three RBI and a run scored. Sophomore Jadyn Spencer batted 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
Junior Jackie Traina (12-2) earned the win, allowing three runs on six hits while striking out three in 5 1/3 innings. Traina also added a solo home run, her second in as many games.
Once again the Tide had to fight its way back into the ballgame. After facing a 2-0 deficit entering the fourth inning, Alabama plated four runs, all with two outs to seize a 4-2 lead.
Braud got the Tide on the board with a two-run single to center that scored Spencer and sophomore Danae Hays. Both started the inning with singles and moved into scoring position on a walk to freshman Leona Lafaele.
The Tide then took the lead when a slow grounder off the bat of freshman Haylie McCleney was thrown away, allowing Lafaele and Braud to score.
Traina helped her own cause by leading off the fifth inning with a solo shot. The blast, that nearly hit the lights in left-center, gave the Tide a 5-2 lead. The home run was her seventh of the season. UA added two more, to make it 7-2, when sophomore Chaunsey Bell plated Spencer on a single to left and a hard single from Braud scored Bell to cap the Tide runs.
Alabama will return home after being on the road for two weeks to play four games next week at Rhoads Stadium. The Tide will start off the week Wednesday against Georgia State, and then host rival Auburn for an SEC series starting Friday.
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