OKLAHOMA CITY — Michigan got big hits. Alabama didn’t. Michigan gets to play Friday. Alabama plays on elimination Saturday.
No. 6 Alabama softball (47-14) was shutout 5-0 to No. 6 Michigan (57-6) in the opening round of the Women’s College World Series. The Wolverines had a solo home run and a grand slam in the win.
Freshman right-hander Alexis Osorio (21-9) had threw six innings and allowed four hits and five runs. She walked four and struck out seven. She gave up a solo home run in the first inning and a grand slam in the fourth.
“Other than those two big swings, Lexi pitched a good game,” Alabama coach Patrick Murphy said. “We just didn’t do enough offensively to support her. I always tell them, winning or losing doesn’t happen by accident. You have to do something to win and on the other side of it, unfortunately, you don’t do enough other things when you lose.”
The Crimson Tide couldn’t figure out Michigan right-hander Megan Betsa (31-4)who pitched seven shutout inning. She gave up four hits, walked one and struck out six.
Alabama broke up a no-hitter in the fourth inning. Senior utility Jadyn Spencer singled up the middle. She was the only player who had a multi-hit game. She also singled in the sixth.
Now, Alabama faces elimination. The Crimson Tide will play the loser of the Oregon/UCLA game on Saturday at 1:20 p.m. CT on ESPN. If Alabama loses, its season is done.
“I mean, we lost the first game to Oklahoma so this team has a lot of grit, and we’re going to show it,” junior centerfielder Haylie McCleney said. “Like they [the other players] said, you gotta have a short term memory. I mean, why not us?”
Only two teams have ever come through the losers bracket and gone on to win the national title.
“Let’s be the third, let’s make history,” McCleney said. “Why not us? I believe in this team. I believe in everyone up here. I believe in everyone that’s out there signing autographs right now, that we can do it and everyone else believes that too so why not us?”
