Jenna Johnson Home Run Sparks Sixth-Inning Comeback over Georgia
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Patrick Murphy was asking for the timely hit in game one, and Jenna Johnson delivered in game two on Sunday.
Johnson's sixth inning home run proved not only to be the key hit, but opened the floodgates for the rest of the offense. Alabama tacked on six runs in the sixth inning to complete the comeback and even the series against Georgia with a 9-3 win at Rhoads Stadium.
"The sixth inning we finally did what I asked all year which is pass the bat down," Murphy said. "That’s what we needed. We needed to put crooked numbers up."
No. 4 Alabama (30-5, 7-4 SEC) had not held a lead in the series all weekend against No. 18 Georgia (31-6, 5-3 SEC) until Johnson stepped to the plate in a 3-3 game in the bottom of the sixth inning. She turned on an inside pitch to send it over the left field wall for her fourth home run of the season.
"I had a feeling it was gonna be a changeup, and a lot of that comes from Tow’s at-bat right before," Johnson said. "I was really paying attention and getting to learn from my teammates who had already faced her. I had a feeling it was coming, and she left a little too much plate, so I took advantage of it.”
Fifth year Kaylee Tow got the rally started with a one-out single, her first hit of the weekend, before Johnson's home run. Abby Doerr, Ally Shipman and Bailey Dowling all added RBI hits in the inning.
Johnson also had the game-tying hit with an RBI single in the third after freshman Aubrey Barnhart got the Crimson Tide within one run with her first career double.
"It was just about producing and getting runs back on the board," Johnson said. "We have a refuse to lose mentality and so the SEC is super competitive, so every game matters. And I knew I had to get it on the board and get it done.”
Lexi Kilfoyl put the exclamation point on the win with her season high eighth strikeout of the day to end the game. Kilfoyl earned the win with her seventh complete game of the season and effectively bounced back from allowing three runs and four walks early.
"I thought she pitched a good game against a really good hitting team," Murphy said.
Once she found the strike zone more consistently, it was hard for the Georgia offense to get anything going off Kilfoyl. She had her first 1-2-3 inning in the top of the sixth that led into the offense's rally.
"I think that's huge because it kind of shifts the momentum," said Alabama third baseman Ashley Prange. "It’s obviously really loud at Rhoads, and you want the crowd on your side. It's hard to play out here when they’re not. So I think her going 1-2-3 really gave us that energy carrying into the bottom of that inning.”
Alabama Athletics
Alabama Athletics
Alabama Athletics
It was another sellout crowd with nearly 4,000 people at Rhoads Stadium for the SEC showdown, and the crowd was loud and involved for the sixth inning.
For the second day in a row, the Bulldogs had the early lead. After trailing 2-0 and 3-1 in the third and fourth innings respectively, the offense slowly clawed its way back into the game before pouring it on in the sixth inning. Prange was a big part of that.
Murphy moved Prange back into the two-hole in the lineup, she responded with two hits and reached base four times in the game. She first got Alabama on the board with an RBI-double in the bottom of the third to make it 2-1.
"Just trying to string something along, we really emphasized passing the bat," Prange said. "If one person gets on, don’t be that second out. We prioritized that and did a really good job of taking pride in that today.
Monday night's game at 6 on SEC Network now becomes the rubber match of the series between the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs.
"I hope tomorrow night we put on a hell of a show for national television," Murphy said. "Monday Night Softball, I love the idea. I love doing it. I hope we have 4,000 strong and can finish off the series with a win."
