No. 5 Alabama softball started Saturday like it ended Friday: with a loss to No. 4 Michigan. For the first time since 1998, Alabama started its season 0-2 at home following the 4-1 loss to Michigan.
The Crimson Tide rebounded in the second game, coming back three times to win 6-4 over James Madison
Freshman right-hander Alexis Osorio (4-1) took the loss against Michigan. She pitched seven innings where she allowed five hits, including two home runs. The two home runs accounted for all three runs in the third inning. She pitched four shutout innings after the third inning.
“I think Alexis just changed to ‘I’m just going to go right at them’ instead of just trying to do too much,” senior catcher Chaunsey Bell said. “I think she was getting outside of herself in the first couple innings, but I think that shows huge maturity in her that she kept them to nothing the last four innings, and that’s huge as a freshman.”
Alabama was held scoreless for 11 innings between the second inning in Friday’s loss and the sixth inning of Saturday before Bell hit an RBI groundout in the bottom of the sixth against Michigan.
The Crimson Tide had five hits and stranded six on base in Saturday’s matchup against Michigan. The team left 10 on base Friday.
“We just wanted to make adjustments quicker today, and I thought we did that,” centerfielder Haylie McCleney said. “We may not have come out with a win in the first game, but we definitely adjusted the second game and got a win where we needed to. I think we had better at-bats in the Michigan game today than we did yesterday. It wasn’t good enough to win, but it’s early in the season. That loss isn’t going to define us. We got run-ruled twice in Arizona last year, and we came back and made it to the final game of the World Series so I think we can take a lot from it. I think we can learn a lot from it, and it’s only going to make us better.”
In the late afternoon matchup with James Madison, sophomore right-hander Sydney Littlejohn (5-0) notched the win with 6.2 innings pitched where she allowed eight hits and four runs, three of which were earned. Senior right-hander Leslie Jury earned the save after retiring the final batter.
“Sydney probably had her C-game, and for us to win with her C-game is pretty good against a good team, and they put up a lot of runs yesterday too,” coach Patrick Murphy said.
Alabama got the run support it needed against Michigan in the second game. After James Madison took a 2-0 lead following a two-run home run in the first, the Crimson Tide put two across on an RBI single and a fielder’s choice when freshman Demi Turner slid under a late tag.
The Crimson Tide came back in the second inning on a sac fly from McCleney. Alabama tied it up and took its first lead in the fifth following an RBI double from senior Danae Hays and a sac fly from Bell.
Sophomore Chandler Dare hit a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth to give Alabama its final run in the 6-4 win.
Bell was recognized before first pitch against Michigan as part of her senior day. Her mother threw out the ceremonial first pitch to her daughter behind the plate.
“That’s all I would want from my team is just to come out and play as hard as they can, and I’m just glad we were able to make that adjustment after the first game, and it was just an amazing day,” Bell said. “It’s an honor and a blessing to be able to experience that as a senior.”
Alabama (12-3) will face Lipscomb on Sunday at 1:30 p.m.
