The No. 4 Crimson Tide softball team had no trouble extending its winning streak to seven, handing the Razorbacks an 8-0 loss in six innings on Friday.
First baseman Leona Lafaele, who went 3-3 with three RBIs and hit the first triple of her career, said she attributes much of her success to her teammates.
“Everybody was doing their job tonight, so if it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be able to get my hits, I wouldn’t be able to get my runs, and we just feed off each other,” she said. “It was a great team win.”
Center fielder Haylie McCleney, who went 2-3 and is now batting .509, said Lafaele’s efforts between games made the difference.
“The work that she put in this week extra – she came before and after practice every single day just working on her swing, and it showed up in the game tonight, so we’re all really proud of her,” she said.
For the Crimson Tide, it was a night of hot bats all around.
After a scoreless first inning, the Alabama bats came out strong in the bottom of the second inning, bringing in three runs on four hits. Both Lafaele and McCleney recorded RBIs in the inning, with Lafaele bringing in one and McCleney sending in two. After tacking on another run in the bottom of the third, the Crimson Tide offense struck again in the bottom of the fifth, scoring two more runs on three consecutive hits – the last of these a two-RBI triple off the bat of Lafaele. Lafaele was once again key in the bottom of the sixth inning, earning the walk-off walk that ended the game.
Every batter in the Crimson Tide lineup made it on base.
McCleney said the offensive display motivated the team throughout the game.
“When you’re on a roll like this, the ball looks big to the hitters, the pitchers are throwing great, so momentum is playing a huge factor in what we’re doing right now,” she said.
Alabama pitching was also on great display, with senior Jaclyn Traina throwing another shutout in 77 pitches, striking out six – one in every inning. Her ERA is now 1.52. Lafaele said the Crimson Tide could not have done it without Traina.
“She did an awesome job tonight. Everybody fed off of her because without her doing her job, we wouldn’t be able to rally together, we wouldn’t be able to get that going,” she said. “She did great tonight, she was killing it.”
Coach Patrick Murphy said he was pleased with the team’s overall performance. He said the team did what it had to do offensively.
“Everybody on the team got on base at least once, either by hit or walk, or hit by pitch,” he said. “So, offensively, I was really pleased with everybody.”
Murphy also said Traina’s performance on the mound was impressive against a hard-hitting Arkansas.
“When she limits her walks and goes right at people, that’s what she does. When she starts to fish too much and throw balls all over the place, she’s not in command,” he said. “They’re a good-hitting team. They hit like .335 as a team, so to shut them out is a pretty good feat.”
No. 4 Alabama (33-5, 12-1 SEC) will face Arkansas again in a doubleheader on Saturday to avoid the rain for the game previously scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday. The doubleheader will begin at 1 p.m.
