It would be hard to blame Alabama starter Alexis Osorio if she thought Danielle Romanello had been hitting extra base hits all season.
Romanello, a freshman, actually had just one extra in 30 at-bats coming into Monday nights softball game at Rhoades Stadium. Romanello upset most of the 3,156 fans in attendance.
As a pinch hitter, Romanello broke up Osorio’s no-hitter in the top of the fourth with a two-run double to tie the game. In the sixth, she hit a home run to give Florida (34-6, 9-3 SEC) the lead and the series win, 3-2. She had the only two hits for Florida on the night, but she made them count.
“It just stinks,” coach Patrick Murphy said. “We outhit them, but they just got the key hits with runners on base and then the home run. Give her credit, she hit it hard. Twice.”
Osorio threw a season-high 179 pitches, two days after she threw 174 pitches. For the series, Osorio threw 395 pitches and kept Alabama (25-11, 6-6 SEC) in the game with most of them.
Freshman Madison Preston did not pitch in the series.
“(Osorio) battled,” Murphy said. “Whoever matches up best (will pitch).”
The loss dropped Osorio to 9-5 on the season with a 2.06 ERA. She has walked at least nine hitters in three of her last four outings and had 23 three-ball counts in the game, 13 of them going full.
In a sloppy series, the two teams combined for 38 walks in the series and four hits batters.
Kaylee Tow continued her strong freshman season with a two-run home run in the bottom of the second inning to give Alabama a lead. On most nights, that would have been enough for Osorio.
Tow upped her batting average to .380 and her eight home runs are tied with Bailey Hemphill for the team lead.
“That was a pitch she had been throwing me throughout the weekend,” Tow said. “It was that little riseball that hung above the belt. That was the pitch I was really looking for it and she finally gave it to me.”
Alabama had more success against Florida starter Kelly Barnhill on Monday than it did Saturday, but the junior pitcher still kept the Crimson Tide offense at bay.
The Alabama offense managed to strikeout just 11 times and walked 10 times against a pitcher that has 188 strikeouts in 118 innings.
“I think what we did best is we didn’t give her too much credit,” Tow said. “She’s Kelly Barnhill and that’s great. I think she’s a wonderful pitcher and she did a great job this weekend. But we focused on what Alabama does best and when we do that, we do great. So, I think coming away from that we can have confidence.”
Alabama will return to action next weekend in Fayetteville, Arkansas in a three-game series against Arkansas.
