Alabama Softball is Going Back to OKC
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama softball has a pretty famous history with rain delays, but a lightningless lightning delay at Rhoads Stadium proved to be the spark the Crimson Tide needed.
Alabama is headed back to Oklahoma City and the Women's College World series for the 14th time overall and third time in the last five seasons.
The No. 5 Crimson Tide beat No. 12 Northwestern 3-2 in the winner-take-all final game of the Tuscaloosa Super Regional Sunday afternoon. In her final game of a storied career at Rhoads Stadium, Montana Fouts fittingly ended the game with a swinging strikeout.
"For me, I think every year is really special, and I’m thankful for every teammate and senior group I’ve had that helped me go to the World Series in previous years," Fouts said after the game. "But this one, being my last year and everything that we went through and the way that everybody’s just so bought in to each other and how we just genuinely enjoy being with each other and everybody is just really grateful to wear this jersey, so I think it makes it a little extra special when all 20 of us do.”
Less than three weeks ago, it was uncertain whether or not Fouts would ever be able to pitch in an Alabama uniform again after suffering a knee injury in the SEC Tournament. However, she pitched in all three games of the Super Regional for the Crimson Tide.
Last year's bitter disappointment of ending the season in regionals, fueled the Crimson Tide this season according to senior Jenna Johnson.
"It’s been on the forefront of our minds every single day," Johnson said. "That loss in regionals, that sticks with you, and it motivates you. So we used that to fuel our season and to get the young ones to buy into the goal that we spoke about every day at practice.”
After an hour delay, Kristen White was the first batter back at the plate in the middle of her third-inning at-bat. She reached with a bunt single. Northwestern walked Ashley Prange for the second time in a row. Jenna Johnson laid down a perfect bunt single to set up the bases loaded for Ally Shipman.
The fifth-year catcher took advantage of the moment in her final home game and drilled a ball down the left field line to bring in two runners, giving Alabama the 2-0 lead.
Northwestern answered with one run in the fourth inning, but Johnson provided some insurance with a solo home run off the left field foul pole to lead off the fifth inning to make it 3-1.
Johnson said she knew she needed to make an adjustment at the plate after flying out multiple times this series against Northwestern pitcher Danielle Williams. She went up with the approach of trying to hit a hard ground ball, but instead was able to connect with enough power to hit it all the way down the line.
That run would be needed as Northwestern's Maeve Nelson sent a home run over the left field wall in the top of the seventh to cut the deficit to one run.
Fouts and Jaala Torrence completed their weekend of tag-teaming in the circle with another impressive outing. Torrence started for the second day in a row and allowed one earned run over 3.1 innings pitched with three strikeouts. Fouts took over in relief and finished the job, earning her 25th win of the season and 100th of her career.
Patrick Murphy found it hard to put into words how gratifying the last two weeks had been for him as head coach of the Crimson Tide. He thanked all those who played a role in getting Fouts in a position where she was healthy enough to pitch again and credited Torrence for stepping into the moment this weekend.
"To see Jaala's coming out party is just unreal," Murphy said. "Everybody got to see it. I mean, the whole country saw it on live television the last two weekends. We all knew that she had it in her. I think she finally believes she does too. And then to have Montana as kind of like the relief specialist– I mean, who wouldn't want a four-time all-American as the reliever?"
Alabama's core group of super seniors (Fouts, Prange and Shipman) now get to end their careers at the WCWS. As transfers in from Ohio State and Tennessee, Prange and Shipman have never played in Oklahoma City, and both had key moments in this series to get Alabama there.
Fouts, Johnson, Torrence, Bailey Dowling, Kat Grill, KJ Haney and Alex Salter are the only current players on the Alabama roster who have been to the WCWS with Fouts and Johnson being the only two with playing experience in OKC.
"I woke up this morning thinking that we want to take obviously the seniors, but I love every single person on this team, and I know there’s not a lot of people that have been [to the WCWS]" Fouts said. "I told them in the fall that whenever you go to the World Series, it makes waking up for 5 a.m. weights a little easier in the morning.”
