Alabama Softball Splits Doubleheader with Upset Loss to Louisiana

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— Alabama softball was feeling confident entering Saturday's action. Having comfortably won games 12-3 and 3-0 against Iowa and Louisiana, respectively, the day before, the Crimson Tide looked primed to win both rematches and complete an undefeated weekend at the Spring Break Showdown.

But after a 5-1 win over Iowa to start the afternoon, head coach Patrick Murphy's squad was handed a 4-3 loss by a Louisiana team that was 1-6 against SEC teams entering the day.

Game One: Alabama 5, Iowa 1

Iowa entered the weekend in an unusual position. Assistant coach Brian Levin had served as the Hawkeyes' interim head coach all season as head coach Renee Gillispie stepped down for the 2025 season due to a "personal health matter." It was announced that Levin would no longer be with the program on Friday, reportedly due to a meeting that Levin called with the team concerning players kneeling for the national anthem after games in Arkansas last month.

Assistant Karl Gollan was promoted to Levin's role for the remainder of the season, making this just his second day officially on the job. If the Hawkeyes were distracted or affected by the move, it showed, as the team committed three errors in a largely noncompetitive game.

Iowa did strike first, scoring their only run of the game in the top of the fourth off a base hit from first baseman Alyssa Ramos that scored Arlette Caravaca. Starter Jocelyn Briski was able to work through the jam and get the remaining two outs to end the inning, leaving two runners on base. The Hawkeyes would proceed to get just one runner on over the remaining three innings of the game.

Alabama responded strongly in the bottom of the frame. Team captain Marlie Giles put the Crimson Tide on the board with a fielder's choice, scoring Alexis Pupillo. Iowa third baseman Avery Jackson made an errant throw that also allowed Kali Heivilin to score. The very next at-bat, Kendal Clark brought Giles home with a sacrifice, picking up her seventh RBI of the season on her senior night.

Heivilin drove in a run of her own in the fifth before Iowa walked Giles with the bases loaded to put the score at 5-1. Braya Hodges came in for the sixth before Alea Johnson closed it out in the seventh,

Briski is now 6-0 over her last seven starts after starting the season 1-5. She has become the trusted arm that head coach Patrick Murphy and the rest of the coachig staff thought she would be.

"I think she had a little bit of a tough or rough beginning and I think that made her stronger for how she is now," Clark said. "So she has full confidence in herself and that helps out the team where we can collectively just have confidence when she's pitching."

Game Two: Louisiana 4, Alabama 3

Alabama looked markedly different from the team that had held Louisiana to just three hits a day before. The Crimson Tide certainly picked up right where it left off - scoring two runs off singles from Pupillo and Kennedy Marceaux. Those would be the final runs Alabama would score until it was down to its final out of the game.

Tyra Clary pitched a complete game for the Ragin' Cajuns, who had a large fan presence at Rhoads Stadium. She was able to work her way through multiple jams as the Crimson Tide left seven runners stranded on base.

The story of the game for Alabama was the fielding. The Crimson Tide committed four errors that had profound impacts on the game. Just one of Louisiana's four runs was earned and the Ragin' Cajuns took a total of ten bases from the miscues. Cecilia Vasquez drove in two runs in the third before leadoff batter Maddie Hayden put Louisiana ahead in the following innning with an RBI single.

The sixth inning may have contained one of the worst sequences of the season for Alabama. Kayla Falterman hit a ball right to Heivilin, who was unable to field it cleanly, allowing Mia Liscano to score what would prove to be the decisive run.

Brooke Ellestad flew out to start the seventh. Down to two outs, pinch hitter Mari Hubbard walked before reaching second on a Kristen White groundout. Audrey Vandagriff and Larissa Preuitt both reached successfully to load the bases up for Abby Duchscherer.

Duchscherer went 0-4 on the night. She grounded a ball right to short for what should have been an easy, game-ending play, but Mia Norwood bobbled it and could not make the throw in time. Hubbard scored and it was a 4-3 game with the bases were loaded for Pupillo.

Pupillo took the first two pitches for balls before taking a third for a strike and fouling off the fourth. She finally got one down the middle but could not make solid contact, hitting the ball directly to Clary who threw to first to end the game and complete the upset.

"You cannot give up four errors, five walks, to a good team and expect to win," Murphy said. "And unfortunately we had the bases loaded and the winning run at second base in the bottom of the seventh and didn't come through. But I was pleased with their resiliency, their grit, how they never gave up. The next time we're in that situation, those kids are going to come through."

Alabama is back in action Tuesday on the road against South Alabama before it hosts Mississippi State next weekend in its first SEC series of the year.

Game One: Alabama 5, Iowa 1

Game Two: Louisiana 4, Alabama 3

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