Bama Central

Alabama Softball Sweeps Doubleheader with Back-to-Back Run-Rule wins

No. 8 Alabama softball continued its strong start to the season Saturday, sweeping Liberty and Purdue in run-rule fashion.
Henry Sklar|
"M5 | Moten gets out of the inning on eight pitches!"
"M5 | Moten gets out of the inning on eight pitches!" | @AlabamaSB on

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama softball swept Saturday’s Easton Bama Bash doubleheader at Rhoads Stadium in dominant fashion, run-ruling Liberty and Purdue by identical 8-0 scores in five innings.

The No. 8 Crimson Tide leaned on dominant pitching and timely hitting across both contests, recording back-to-back shutouts.

Freshman right-hander Vic Moten set the tone in the opener against Liberty, allowing just one hit while striking out five across 19 batters faced. Head coach Patrick Murphy credited the freshman’s competitiveness for her strong start to her collegiate career.

“She’s just very competitive as a freshman,” Murphy said. “If she stays within the zone, I think she’s very, very difficult to hit.”

Moten earned D1 Softball National Freshman of the Week and Softball America Freshman Star of the Week honors following the opening week of the season.

Alabama broke through in the second inning after loading the bases. Audrey Vandagriff drove in the first run, and Brooke Wells followed with a two-run double to the center-field wall. Kinley Pate later added to the scoring with a steal of home.

Vandagriff delivered the finishing blow in the fifth, launching a walk-off grand slam at the scoreboard. The sophomore said the moment came down to a simplified approach.

“I was just sitting hard and away,” Vandagriff said. “She gave it to me, and I was lucky enough to get a good swing on it.”

Alabama carried the momentum into the afternoon game against Purdue behind another strong showing in the circle. Jocelyn Briski struck out the first six batters she faced before Kaitlyn Pallozzi entered in relief to help preserve the shutout.

Murphy called the back-to-back shutouts a notable achievement, showcasing the depth of Alabama's pitching staff

“Number one, it’s very difficult to shut anybody out,” Murphy said. “Just to throw a shutout for two straight games is a feat.”

The Tide offense again struck early. Vandagriff led off with a single, stole second and later scored on an RBI single from senior Alexis Pupillo. Jena Young followed with a bases-loaded walk to make it 2-0 after one.

Pupillo later provided the decisive swing in the bottom of the fourth inning, crushing a two-run home run to right as Alabama blew the game open.

Honored in pregame festivities, Pupillo said the moment made Saturday especially meaningful. The senior received the loudest cheers of any Alabama player throughout the day and fed off the support.

“I felt so loved,” Pupillo said. “I’m just so grateful for this place.”

Alabama’s defense handled the rest, securing the second straight run-rule victory to complete the doubleheader sweep and improve to 9-0 on the season.

The Crimson Tide will wrap up hosting its early-season tournament Sunday at 12:30 p.m. CT against Georgia Southern.

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Henry Sklar
HENRY SKLAR

Henry Sklar is an intern at Alabama Crimson Tide/Bama Central. He previously covered Alabama football and basketball for TideIllustrated.com and was a contributing writer for The Crimson White, focusing on golf and football. He also has extensive experience on social media, including TikTok. He’s lived in six different states, enjoys playing golf and DJing in his free time while majoring in News Media with a concentration in sports media.

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