Two days, 29 runs.
In just over 24 hours, No. 6 Alabama softball put up 29 runs over eight innings in its midweek games.
On Tuesday, Alabama scored 15 runs in one inning. The Crimson Tide had an eight-run fourth inning to cap the 12-1 mercy-rule win over Southern Miss on Wednesday.
“Just keep passing it down [the order], that’s been the key,” Alabama coach Patrick Murphy said. “You know, I think one of the big keys that have helped the last couple of weeks is the people behind Haylie [McCleney] have been getting on.”
McCleney hit in the three-hole, Wednesday. She went 1-for-1 with two walks. The fourth and fifth batters in the lineup, senior shortstop Danae Hays and sophomore third baseman Marisa Runyon, went 2-for-3 and 2-for-2, respectively. Hays had two singles and three RBI. Runyon hit a single and a double, scoring a run each.
Alabama strung together 12 hits in the win. Southern Miss walked five batters and had three errors.
“It was really good,” sophomore outfielder Chandler Dare said. “We scored a lot of runs again, and when you put up 12 runs against somebody, I mean, it’s pretty good.”
Dare went 2-for-3 with an RBI. She had two singles and scored twice. On Tuesday, she went 2-for-3 with three RBI. Senior catcher Chaunsey Bell went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run in the fourth inning.
“Everybody, we’re just really buying into the system, just working our tails off every single day, and it’s obviously paying off,” Dare said.
Sophomore right-hander Sydney Littlejohn (11-1) pitched five innings, giving up one run, a solo home run in the second inning. She gave up four hits and struck out three.
“I thought she did really well except for one pitch,” Murphy said. “Did a good job with their lefties. Six of their nine hitters were lefties.”
This weekend, Alabama (27-8, 8-4 SEC) heads to No. 14 Kentucky (24-9, 3-6 SEC) who just took a series over then-No. 1 LSU last weekend.
“They’re very very good at home,” Murphy said. “I think they really take advantage of sometimes the weather when it’s cold, but I would too if I was up there.”
Kentucky’s pitcher Kelsey Nunley threw a complete game against LSU where she allowed one run and one walk. She pitched 13.2 innings against LSU allowing two earned runs. She struck out 13.
“She does a good job of hitting her spots,” Murphy said. “She mixes up her pitches. She throws hard. She’s got a good changeup. I mean, she’s definitely one of the best eight pitchers in the country in my mind. And they’ve got a pretty good staff this year.”
The first game of the series starts Friday at 4 p.m. CT.
