No. 2 Alabama Softball Sweeps Doubleheader of Northern Iowa, 5-3 and 8-0
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — In its first game of the day, the Crimson Tide did not begin where it left off the previous night with a run-rule victory.
Instead, it partook in a pitching duel until its offense initiated a rhythm and got on the board. Alabama bats took longer than usual to come alive, needing a solo homerun by senior Bailey Hemphill in the bottom of the fourth to gain some sort of momentum.
Once the ball touched down over the centerfield wall, Alabama's menacing lineup took things over. Helped out by three errors from Northern Iowa, the Crimson Tide never gave up its lead and added to it in the fifth inning.
Cornell dominated on the mound, keeping a no-hitter through almost five full innings until giving up a two-run home run to redshirt senior Sammey Bunch, briefly cutting the Alabama lead to one before its bats kept rolling in the bottom of the fifth.
Senior left fielder Alexis Mack, once again, was the catalyst for Alabama in its two-run fifth inning. The Panthers played her with a shift to the left side, meaning all she needed was a slapped base hit to the right to reach base. After, back-to-back errors from UNI assisted in the Crimson Tide's efforts, keeping the inning alive and adding to the momentum captured with Hemphill's homerun an inning earlier.
Cornell had a three-run cushion entering the top of the sixth, meaning six outs and the game was won. Undeterred and not phased by the two-run homer, she began work in the sixth with ease, though an Alabama error kept the Panthers close and cut the lead to two.
Freshman Jaala Torrence replaced Cornell after five and two-thirds innings, and got out of a first and third jam to end the sixth and maintain the two-run lead. Cornell finished with three hits allowed, three walks, three earned runs, and eight strikeouts. She recorded the win and her record moves to 4-0 on the season. Also, Torrence got credit for her first save of the season.
Courtesy of Stat Broadcast
Game Two:
Torrence started game two on the mound and began action by giving up a leadoff double to Sammey Bunch. After, she recorded three straight outs to leave the runner stranded on third.
In the bottom of the first, Mack, unsurprisingly, reached base via walk to start things for Alabama's offense, though the two, three and four hitters could not advance her past second base. It was scoreless through one.
Dowling started the bottom of the second with a leadoff double before advancing to third on a groundball by graduate senior Claire Jenkins. Then, fellow graduate senior Taylor Clark scored Dowling with another double down the left field line. The Crimson Tide's lead was left at one through two innings.
Torrence kept her poise on the mound, not allowing a hit until the top of the fourth inning after the Panthers' leadoff double.
Meanwhile … the Alabama offense kept quiet after a one-run second inning. Redshirt sophomore Kailyn Packard allowed three hits through three innings and got out of multiple jams, leaving more than enough opportunities for Northern Iowa to jump ahead. The freshman Torrence, though, was tough to hit and would not allow the Panthers to create much momentum offensively.
Dowling, once again, started things for the Crimson Tide in the fourth with a leadoff single. Jenkins then advanced the runner with a groundball, leaving one in scoring position with one out and Clark up-to-bat. Packard retired Clark via strikeout, but with two outs, sophomore Savannah Woodard singled up the middle to drive in Dowling and increase the one-run advantage to two.
The seemingly inevitable breakthrough was capped by junior pinch hitter Kyra Lockhart who doubled to right-center and scored Woodard. Alabama led 3-0 through four innings, then Torrence continued her groove and retired the Panthers in order in the fifth inning.
In the bottom of the fifth, senior infielder Kaylee Tow increased the three-run lead by one with an RBI-single to right field.
Then, to cap the doubleheader, Woodard hit a walk-off grandslam with two outs to put the run rule into effect. It was her second career home run and first of the year. Torrence was the winning pitcher and moves to 1-0 on the season.
No. 2 Alabama plays South Alabama on Sunday, March 6 at 4 p.m. CT.
Courtesy of Stat Broadcast
