In each of its three games last week, the No. 6 Alabama softball team attracted crowds in the thousands.
Even when Alabama suffered a disappointing 6-2 loss last Wednesday to Auburn at Lagoon Park in Montgomery, the atmosphere was great, coach Patrick Murphy said.
“They had over 3,000 people, and the only disappointing thing was we didn’t play very well,” Murphy said. “The facility was great. The crowd was great. I mean, everything about it, they ran it really smoothly. We just didn’t hit very well. We didn’t get a good starting pitching performance from [junior] Leslie [Jury] so other than that it was a good night, but not a good result.”
In Chapel Hill, N.C., the Crimson Tide helped set an attendance record twice. The first came during Friday’s 6-4 win over Georgia Southern when 1,863 fans came. The next game against North Carolina brought in 2,048 people.
(See also “Softball team drops 3rd straight“)
“North Carolina was incredible with over 2,000 people that just packed their park, and it’s playing like a regional game which is kind of what we want at the end of the year,” Murphy said.
The two victories on Friday ended Alabama’s three-game losing streak, its longest since the 2013 season. The games also provided playing time to players who hadn’t seen the field very often this season.
Freshman Marisa Runyon, a Myrtle Beach, S.C., native, blasted her first home run of her career, a two-run shot to give Alabama a 4-2 lead over Georgia Southern.
“It was a big hit for us against Georgia Southern in front of a lot of [her] friends and family over at North Carolina,” Murphy said.
(See also “Tide softball team travels to Montgomery“)
Sophomore Kallie Case had four hits in the two games Friday, going 3-for-3 against Georgia Southern. Junior Jadyn Spencer also notched four hits for the day, including a home run in each game.
Freshman Sydney Littlejohn earned her second save of the season after coming in to pitch three innings of relief against North Carolina. She allowed one hit against UNC.
Littlejohn also pitched 1 2/3 innings of relief Wednesday against Auburn when she struck out three of the five batters she faced.
“Sydney Littlejohn pitched really well again all week long,” Murphy said. “That was another good positive. We got different people starts. We’re down to the home stretch. This is the last non-conference game of the year so we need to finish strong with that part of the season.”
The Crimson Tide (39-8) will travel to Southern Miss (22-24) on Tuesday for a 6 p.m. game. Alabama is 5-2 all-time against the Golden Eagles.
“[It’s] just another opportunity to see some good pitching, some live pitching. It’s an away game so I’m sure they’re going to have a good crowd, hopefully the weather is going to be good,” Murphy said.
(See also “UA softball team earns 4th SEC sweep“)
