No. 4 Alabama Softball Battles to 5-3 Win over No. 10 Arkansas
Alabama softball did something did something Friday night that four other teams were unable to accomplish: beat the Arkansas Razorbacks in conference play.
Behind the home runs of Bailey Hemphill and Savannah Woodard, plus a 12-strikeout performance from Montana Fouts, Alabama (30-4, 10-3 SEC) beat Arkansas (32-4, 12-1 SEC) 5-3 to take the opening game of the series, handing the Hogs their first SEC loss of the year.
Through the first two innings, it looked like the top-10 matchup might be heading towards a pitchers duel. However, Elissa Brown picked up the first hit of the day for the Tide in the top of the third which started a four-run rally. Brown led the team with three hits on Friday.
KB Sides hit a two-RBI double to score Brown and Alexis Mack immediately followed by a two-run home run from Bailey Hemphill, her eighth of the year, to give Alabama the early 4-0 lead.
Arkansas responded with three runs in the bottom of the inning aided by a two-out error from Fouts. Those three runs would be all the Razorbacks would score as Fouts worked out of bases loaded jams in both the fifth and sixth inning. In total, she stranded ten Arkansas runners on base.
The Hogs came into the game as the league's top home run hitting team with 69 total deep balls. Even as a rise ball pitcher, Fouts was able to keep the Arkansas hitters inside the ball park all night.
Braxton Burnside leads the Razorbacks and the entire SEC with 20 home runs. She did get walked twice, but she was held hitless in game one.
Savannah Woodard added some insurance in the fourth inning for Alabama with her second home run of the year to put the Tide up 5-3.
Alabama will be going for the series win Saturday at 11 a.m. The game will be televised on ESPN2.
