No. 6 Alabama Softball Can't Find Timely Hit in 5-2 Loss at Missouri

Patrick Murphy tried to give his team the spark to start a rally in the top of the seventh by getting ejected for arguing a called third strike against Alabama's home run leader Brooke Wells that was down by her ankles. The Crimson Tide did rally to load the bases and bring the winning run to the plate but could not push across any runs to tie or take the lead.

For the second game in a row, Alabama's only offense came from solo home runs, and this time it wasn't enough as the No. 6 Crimson Tide lost to Missouri 5-2 at Mizzou Softball Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

After Murphy's ejection, Alexis Pupillo hit a ground ball to the right side, and Mizzou could not get the runner at second base. Freshman Ana Roman stepped to the plate with bases loaded and two outs, but her liner to short ended the game.

Audrey Vandagriff led off the game with a solo home run to give the Crimson Tide the early lead. Pupillo followed it up two batters later with her 11th home run of the season to put Alabama up 2-0 in the first inning. That would be the last time the Tide scored in the game.

Freshman starter Vic Moten held Mizzou scoreless through the first time two frames but started to face some trouble in the third inning. After a one-out single and hit-by-pitch, Moten committed an error on a ball that hit off her glove, which scored the first run for the Tigers. Missouri wasn't done yet though in the inning.

The Tigers added two more runs on a ground-rule double off the bat of Sophie Smith to take the lead at 3-2 in the bottom of the third. Stefiana Abruscato added on to the Mizzou lead with a two-out solo home run in the fourth inning.

Moten's day was done after four innings. Fellow freshman Kaitlyn Pallozzi came in from the bullpen and gave up a run in the sixth inning that pushed the Tiger lead to 5-2. The score would hold as Alabama could not scratch any more runs across.

Alabama is now 0 for 12 in the series with runners in scoring position and needs the bats to wake up on Sunday if the Crimson Tide wants to pick up the road series. This was just the second loss of the year for Alabama (28-2, 6-2 SEC), but it is a bad one against Missouri (15-17, 1-4 SEC) that was winless in SEC play coming into Saturday's game. The series finale will take place on Sunday at noon.

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