No. 2 Alabama Softball Blanks Blazers in Final Midweek Game

Alabama softball had one final non-conference matchup before entering the most important stretch of the season, and the Crimson Tide passed its final midweek test.

Behind another shutout performance from freshman Vic Moten in the circle, the No. 2 Alabama beat UAB 6-0 at Mary Bowers Field in Birmingham on Tuesday night.

Moten needed just 79 pitches for the complete-game shutout against the Blazers (20-27.) She only allowed two hits with no walks and 10 strikeouts. This was her third seven-inning shutout of the season. All three were on the road with the first happening at Florida State on Feb. 20 and the second at Auburn on April 11.

Overall, this was the 20th shutout thrown by the Alabama pitching staff, meaning the Crimson Tide has shut out opponents 43 percent of the time this season. Tuesday night's game also extended the staff's streak of 27 straight innings without allowing a walk.

Even though she didn't need them, the Crimson Tide (43-4) offense gave Moten plenty of runs to work with. Salen Hawkins got the scoring started with an RBI sacrifice fly in the second inning. Sophomore outfielder Lauren Johnson hit her first home run since March 6 with a solo home run to lead off the third inning that extended the Alabama lead to 2-0.

Brooke Wells and Alexis Pupillo both added to their impressive RBI numbers this season. Wells hit a double in the left/center gap to score two runs in the fourth inning. She is up to 55 RBIs on the year. Pupillo poured on a little extra insurance with a two-run home run in the seventh inning, her 15th of the year. It was also a strong night at the plate for freshman outfielder Ana Roman. She hit two doubles and scored two runs.

With the home runs from Johnson and Pupillo, Alabama now has 79 on the season, which is tied for the fifth-most in program history.

Alabama finishes the non-conference slate with a 28-1 record against non-conference opponents. The only loss came last week at Samford.

The Crimson Tide will have an extra day of preparation for this weekend's crucial SEC series at Tennessee, which begins on Saturday in Knoxville at 3 p.m. Alabama is currently tied for first place in the SEC with Oklahoma.

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