The No. 5 Alabama softball team had been threatening to send the nearly 2000 fans at Rhoads Stadium for the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional home early for most of the night.
Alabama led SIU-Edwardsville 9-0 with the 10-run mercy rule looming as early as the 3rd inning, after the Crimson Tide put together several extra-base hits against Ohio Valley Conference MVP Haley Chambers, who entered the game with a 1.82 ERA and exited the game after 1 ? innings pitched. The Alabama defense also did their part, with pitcher Leslie Jury hurling three perfect innings and center-fielder Haylie McCleney making a spectacular diving catch in the 2nd inning.
“I love the way we started, jumping out to a 9-0 lead. I thought Leslie was terrific.” Alabama coach Patrick Murphy said. “We knew it wasn’t going to be easy easy because I knew they would make a run, a they got quite a few barrels there in the last couple innings.”
McCleney said her catch “wasn’t too bad,” but she could do better.
“It was big for [Jury], I think, because [she] made a really good pitch, a screwball on the outside,” McCleney said. “The hitter just kind of stuck her barrel out there and, as hard as [Jury] throws, the balls gonna go if you just get your barrel on it. To make that catch for her was really big, to keep her momentum going in the right direction.”
Alabama certainly had an easy start on the day, but the Cougars made the evening interesting for the Crimson Tide, scoring twice in the 4th inning and once in the fifth to stay in the game. SIU-Edwardsville catcher Rachel Coonrod said her team’s tenacity didn’t surprise her.
“That’s what we do. We fight hard,” Coonrod said. “We are a scrappy team and our coach pushes us to be that way. That’s the game we play and it’s important to us to come back and just make a statement that we’re here and we’re not going away.”
SIU-Edwardsville coach Sandy Montgomery agreed with her catcher, praising her team’s bravery.
“I was proud of my team with the way that they kept battling and we obviously got some runs across the board,” Montgomery said. “I didn’t really feel like we were intimidated. We were a little tight to begin with, but we played hard and I’m proud of my team.”
After relief pitcher Erin Greenwalt pitched the Cougars out of that 3rd inning jam and the SIU-Edwardsville offense battled back, the breakthrough wouldn’t come until the bottom of the 5th, when a 3-run home run by Crimson Tide 1st baseman Leona Lafaele ended the game at 13-3 in Alabama’s favor. When Lafaele stepped up to the plate, she said she only had one thing on her mind.
“Sometimes I get too excited, but Ryan [Iamurri], she’s one of our seniors, and she’s just great.” Lafaele said. “She just told me to go up there and relax and have fun. Have fun and end it.”
