Freshmen Steal Show as Alabama Softball Open Series with 4-0 Win over LSU

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Patrick Murphy has been looking for a complete game from his team in all three phases, and he feels like he got a little closer with the Crimson Tide's performance Friday night.

No. 16 Alabama won the series opener 4-0 over No. 14 LSU in front of a packed-out crowd at Rhoads Stadium. All four of Alabama's run came with two outs and were driven in by freshmen.

"Montana really wasn't her best stuff, but she gets it done with five singles, and then the defense was great," Murphy said after the game. "And then I thought the hitting was much better than the last two or three weeks for sure, especially with two outs."

Kenleigh Cahalan opened the scoring with a two-run home run in the bottom of the first, her seventh home run of the year. It was an absolute no-doubter right off the bat over the right field wall.

Cahalan's blast proved to be the spark the Alabama offense needed. For an offense that has been struggling the last few weeks, two first-inning runs felt like a huge weight lifted off its shoulders.

"Obviously as a pitcher, 2-0 right away, I'll take that any day, any time in the first inning," Murphy said. "I think it was a big boost for the crowd, all the way around for everybody."

Thanks to an errant throw by the LSU catcher, Larissa Preuitt was able to score on a swinging bunt to put Alabama up 3-0. Fellow freshmen Marlie Giles came through with a two-out RBI single in the third to push the lead to 4-0.

Single + 3 base error = another run for the Tide@larissa_preuitt

📺SECN+ | https://t.co/CwELSAGpJJ #Team27 #RollTide pic.twitter.com/YEmZRXY4i5
— Alabama Softball (@AlabamaSB) April 28, 2023

Preuitt wasn't sure Murphy was going to send her as she was rounding third, but there was no doubt in the coach's mind with the freshman's speed on the bases.

"I don't think I've ever had anything happen like that before honestly," Preuitt said. "Right when it came off my bat, I was like, 'If that stays fair, I can probably get a hit, a single.'"

It turned into more than that after she got the green light from Murphy and provided another big energy boost for the team and crowd.

The early runs gave Montana Fouts some breathing room in the circle, but it turns out she wouldn't need it. Fouts struck out six on the way to her sixth complete-game shutout of SEC play. LSU had the leadoff batter on in four of the first five innings, but Fouts was able to keep the Tigers off the scoreboard.

It looked like LSU was going to be the team to jump out to an early lead after its first two batters reached with base hits. But Kali Heivilin was able to turn a double play up the middle, and Ally Shipman threw out a runner at second to end the frame.

"That double play early in the game was huge from Heivilin to Cahalan," Murphy said. "That was a momentum boost for us."

LSU only had two other runners get into scoring position for the entire rest of the game.

With the win, Alabama improves to 35-15 (11-8 SEC) and will face the Tigers again Saturday at 1 p.m. on ESPN2.