No. 3 Alabama Sweeps South Carolina to Close Out Regular Season

Jocelyn Briski pitched another complete game to pick up her 20th win of the year as the Crimson Tide sweeps another SEC opponent.

Alabama pitcher Jocelyn Briski prepares to pitch | Sarah Munzenmaier/Alabama Crimson Tide on SI

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— Jocelyn Briski continued to prove why she's one of the best pitchers in the SEC with another complete game and her 20th win of the season as No. 3 Alabama beat No. 21 South Carolina, 4-3, to finish off the series sweep of the Gamecocks in the final game of the regular season.

Alabama ends the regular season with a 47-6 (19-5 SEC) record, its highest SEC win total since 2014. It was Alabama's seventh series win and fourth sweep.

"For us to win seven of the eight series, unbelievable," Alabama head coach Patrick Murphy said after the game. "One of our best SEC years ever."

South Carolina jumped out to a two-run lead, but the Alabama offense fought back with a three-run rally in the third inning, and Briski handled the rest. Briski struck out nine batters, only allowing four hits and two earned runs. It was the third day in a row she faced the Gamecocks.

"Really the main goal was to keep the team in the game as long as possible, and I felt like I was able to do that," Briski said. "Minimize innings when the first batter got on and just try to attack the zone."

Coming into Saturday's matchup, Alabama was 0 for 14 with runners in scoring position. Ana Roman made sure she wasn't going to keep building on that stat when she stepped to the plate with bases loaded and one out in the third inning.

The Crimson Tide already had scored a run on a bases-loaded walk by Marlie Giles, but no Alabama batter had come through with a hit yet. Roman delivered with a single through the left side to tie the game up at 2-2. Alabama added on another run with an RBI walk from Jena Young.

Alexis Pupillo provided some insurance with an RBI single in the fourth inning. It would be needed as South Carolina clawed back with a leadoff home run in the top of the fifth to cut the Alabama lead to 4-3.

"I just felt a lot of gratitude in that moment because I look up at the crowd, and all of a sudden everything just kind of went quiet, and I just felt this immense feeling of gratitude," Pupillo said. "There was intensity, but I just feel so grateful to be at our home field."

Alabama did what it needed to do to stay alive in the race for the SEC regular season title, and whether or not it gets to have a share with Oklahoma depends on the results of Game 3 between the Sooners and Texas A&M later on Saturday.

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