No. 7 Alabama Run-Rules North Dakota State Behind Taylor’s Two-Homer Day

TUSCALOOSA, Ala –– No. 7 Alabama softball continued its dominant stretch at Rhoads Stadium, run-ruling North Dakota State 13-0 in five innings Saturday behind an explosive offensive performance and a combined two-hit shutout in the circle.

Alabama (33-2) wasted little time taking control. After working around two walks in the top of the first, the Crimson Tide capitalized immediately in the bottom half. Ana Roman doubled to lead off the inning and later scored on a defensive miscue before Ambrey Taylor launched a two-run home run to right, putting Alabama up 3-0.

The Tide broke the game open in the second inning with a two-out rally. Salen Hawkins delivered a two-RBI single, and Jena Young followed with a two-RBI hit that turned into extra bases on an outfield error. Another error brought in a run as Alabama extended its lead to 8-0.

“I think I chose better pitches to swing at,” Hawkins said. “That definitely helps me instead of swinging at balls — just staying disciplined at the plate.”

That discipline showed throughout the lineup, as Alabama drew multiple walks and forced three NDSU errors in the inning alone.

In the circle, Kaitlyn Pallozzi set the tone early, allowing just one hit across three scoreless innings while working efficiently through traffic. Alabama added another run in the third on Hawkins’ RBI single before putting the game out of reach in the fourth.

After a leadoff single and an error, Holly Beth Brooks delivered a two-RBI single for her first hit of the season, a moment that energized the dugout.

“Ambrey, she’s such a stud,” Taylor said. “And Holly Beth, I literally forgot that I was up to bat because I was out there cheering for her.”

Moments later, Taylor struck again, blasting her second two-run home run of the day to extend the lead to 13-0.

“My team has so much confidence in me and I don’t have to do too much,” Taylor said. “And I wanted to do good for Abby. It’s all about her today.”

Taylor finished with two home runs and four RBIs, continuing her recent surge at the plate.

Braya Hodges entered in the fifth to close it out. After allowing a leadoff single, she forced a fielder’s choice, recorded a strikeout and induced a groundout to seal the run-rule victory.

Head coach Patrick Murphy credited the team’s preparation and balance across the lineup.

“The confidence should be sky high for everybody, because everybody in the lineup did something good today,” Murphy said.

With contributions throughout the order and dominant pitching, Alabama secured another run-rule win and carried momentum into its upcoming SEC matchup against No. 1 Texas.

“It’s gonna be pretty similar to last year with the Oklahoma series," Murphy said. "They’ve come here for a tournament, but this is their first time SEC-wise, I believe. So it’s just gonna be a great atmosphere at Rhoads House.

A lot of people have asked for tickets already for me, so I’m hoping for three sellouts, because it’s a Thursday, Friday, Saturday series. Two of the three are on national television, which adds to the excitement, but it is a big-time softball series for sure.”

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Twitter/X, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Threads, and Blue Sky for the latest news.