Alabama head coach Patrick Murphy got two wins over his alma mater this weekend.

No. 2 Alabama (15-0) left the Mardi Gras Mambo with a 5-0 record and a 6-0 record on the road trip to Louisiana as a whole.

After defeating No. 20 Louisiana (10-2) 9-1 in Lafayette on Thursday, the two teams met again on Sunday in both teams’ final game of the Mardi Gras Mambo, which the Crimson Tide won 8-0 in five innings.

Senior pitcher Montana Fouts (6-0, .38 ERA) got her sixth start of the season for Alabama, recording seven strikeouts and giving up only two hits. This marked the right-hander’s third shutout of the season.

Fouts was in the heat of a pitchers’ duel for the beginning of the game. Louisiana pitcher Kandra Lamb gave up zero hits to Alabama in the first three innings. Only one Alabama batter had reached base with Lamb pitching when freshman Megan Bloodworth was walked in the third.

In an odd turn of events, Alabama had already secured a 1-0 lead prior to the team’s first hit. Early in the fourth inning, Alabama loaded the bases thanks to two walks and an error. After the bases were loaded, junior Abby Doerr was walked, bringing in junior Jenna Johnson.

The Ragin’ Cajuns made a pitching change entering the fourth, subbing in Meghan Schorman. The fourth inning saw Alabama’s first hit of the game, a single to left center field from sophomore Bailey Dowling that brought in two runs and extended Alabama’s lead to 3-0.

Alabama continued to pour it on in the fifth, finding a groove as a team at the plate. The Crimson Tide recorded six hits that led to five runs scored, extending the lead to 8-0 and putting the game in run-rule territory.

In a game where consistent hitting was hard to come by until the later innings, Dowling was a consistent bright spot. The sophomore was a perfect 2-2, the only player on the team to bat 1.000 on the day. 

Additionally, Dowling had a team-leading three RBIs. Coming into Sunday, Dowling was only batting .212 on the season, but Sunday showed that Alabama has even more hitting weapons than people may have thought.

Next week Alabama has even more challenges ahead, including a solo game against UAB Wednesday night at 6 p.m. CT. Alabama’s first midweek game of the year will be followed up by the T-Mobile Crimson Classic, a multiteam event taking place in Tuscaloosa. 

Alabama will play four games in the event, playing Texas on Friday and Saturday, and Miami (Ohio) on Saturday and Sunday.

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