No. 2 Alabama Softball Crushes No. 9 Tennessee to Win Series Opener

Brooke Wells set the tone with her 20th home run of the season in the first inning of Saturday night's contest in Knoxville, and the Alabama offense didn't let up.

No. 2 Alabama run ruled No. 9 Tennessee 12-0 in five inning in the series opener. The Crimson Tide scored in four of the five innings, and Alabama starter Jocelyn Briski was incredibly efficient in the circle with the shutout performance.

Briski held the Lady Vols to just two hits, striking out six batter.

Tennessee has one of the best pitching staffs in the country statistically, and the Crimson Tide had one of its best offensive performances of the season.

Alabama's offense was patient at the plate with nine free passes drawn (six walks and three hit-by-pitches) to keep constant traffic on the bases. Tennessee also committed two errors. Multiple players stepped up with the timely hits to drive those runners in.

Ambrey Taylor hit a two-RBI single in the third inning with bases loaded. Salen Hawkins had a bases-loaded single in the fourth inning to score a run, and freshman Ana Roman provided the big blast with a three-run home run in the fifth inning to extend the Alabama lead to 12-0.

Earlier this week, Alabama head coach Patrick Murphy said he wanted the offense to attack early in the series against the Lady Vols. The Crimson Tide chased Tennessee starter Karlyn Pickens after just 2.2 innings and kept adding on against relievers Peyton Hardenburger and Erin Nuwer.

This is Alabama's third top-10 road victory of the season. With the win, Alabama improves to 44-4 (16-3) and stays in the hunt for first-place in the SEC. The Crimson Tide and Lady Vols will meet for Game 2 on Sunday at 3 p.m.

This story will be updated.

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