WCWS Elimination Game Doesn't Scare Montana Fouts, Alabama Softball
OKLAHOMA CITY — Been there, done that.
For No. 5-seeded Alabama softball, the prospect of being sent home is a welcomed challenge.
In the Tuscaloosa Regional, the Crimson Tide was down to its last couple of outs vs. Middle Tennessee State before Ally Shipman's heroic solo home run in the top of the seventh broke a 0-0 tie and helped lift Patrick Murphy and Co. to the next round after splitting the first two games of the series with the Blue Raiders.
Five days later, the Northwestern Wildcats rolled into Rhoads Stadium and stole the first game of the Super Regionals, 3-1.
With the season on the line, Alabama needed to win two games in a row to advance once more and keep their hopes of a Women's College World Series berth alive.
Behind the wings of Jaala Torrence's lights-out weekend and Montana Fouts' return to the circle, the Crimson Tide did just that — defeating the Wildcats 2-1 and 3-2, respectively.
After dropping Game 1 of the WCWS on Thursday to No. 4 Tennessee 10-5, Alabama's back is up against the wall for a third time in the postseason. With yet another win-or-go-home matchup at hand, the message from Fouts and the Alabama staff is clear: Don't be nervous.
"Afterward, the coaches said their thing, and Montana [Fouts] said, look, we've been here before, twice," Murphy said. "Supers and Regionals. It was MTSU, win or go home. Northwestern, win or go home. We've been in this situation, so it's not a big deal. So it shouldn't be this nervous. This probably is the way it's been written for this team, to make it the hard way. We have to play better defense. We have to get a good start from the starter. Then obviously the third thing is a key hit, and we need to do that early."
For senior third baseman Ashley Prange, the feeling of pressure is nothing new.
"I think building off the adversity we faced all year, it's kind of in our team story from day one, coming out of the gate with the loss the first game of the season," Prange said. "How well can we truly rely on each other and pick ourselves back up when we do get punched, and how hard can we hit back in those moments? I think it's something our team has taken a lot of pride in, really kind of just I guess taken pride in making it a staple of our team this year."
While Fouts and Prange have quite the log of experience, that sentiment echoes true for even the youngest player on the team, 18-year-old shortstop Kenleigh Cahalan.
"I agree," Cahalan said. "Like I said, this team has grit. I believe in every one of my teammates, and I know that tomorrow we're going to come back fighting and getting ready for tomorrow's game."
The opponent just so happens to be the same team that knocked Alabama out of the NCAA Tournament in regionals last season. As the season's conclusion threatens, the Crimson Tide will get the opportunity to avenge that loss against the Stanford Cardinal.
First pitch for No. 5 Alabama vs. No. 9 Stanford in the elimination bracket is set for 6:00 CT on ESPN.
See Also:
Little Losses Lead to Big Loss for Alabama Softball in WCWS Opener
WCWS Notebook: Tennessee Continues Two-Out Dominance in Win Against Alabama
Everything Alabama Softball Said After Losing to Tennessee in WCWS
