Big Fifth Inning Pushes Alabama Softball to 10-0 Win over Notre Dame
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A combination of walks, Notre Dame errors and a Claire Jenkins three-run double busted open the game for Alabama softball in the fifth inning. The offense batted around and scored eight runs in a 10-0 run rule win over the Fighting Irish.
The inning started with an Alexis Mack single, and then Mack came up later in the inning with a two-RBI double. She also came around to score on that same play because of an Irish error. Notre Dame had four errors in the fifth inning alone and finished with five total.
Seven of the eight runs in the fifth inning came with two outs including the Jenkins bases-clearing double and the double from Mack.
The other productive inning for the Alabama offense was the third where four straight singles from Mack, Bailey Hemphill, Bailey Dowling, and Kaylee Tow gave the Crimson Tide their initial 2-0 lead.
The highly touted freshman Dowling had her first two hits in an Alabama uniform and also notched her first career RBI, and Tow added an RBI for the second game in a row.
Alabama consistently put runners on through the first four innings, but left five runners on base and only led 2-0 after the fourth before the offensive explosion in the fifth.
Starter Lexi Kilfoyl pitched four shutout innings for the Crimson Tide and kept the Irish batters off balance all night, only allowing two hits and no walks.
Freshman Jaala Torrence made her Alabama debut and came in to close out the game and pitched a scoreless fifth inning.
Alabama improves to 2-0 on the young season. The Crimson Tide returns to Tuscaloosa tomorrow for a doubleheader against Louisville starting at noon.
