Pinch Hit Home Run Sends Alabama Softball to Regional Championship

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— The regional matchup between Alabama and Southeastern Louisiana at Rhoads Stadium on Saturday afternoon was becoming all too familiar for Crimson Tide softball fans.

It was another dominant outing in the circle from Alabama starter Kayla Beaver with little run support from the Crimson Tide offense. The game was in extra innings with both teams knotted at a run apiece in the ninth inning.

After Jenna Johnson reached on a one-out walk, Alabama head coach Patrick Murphy called on sophomore catcher Riley Valentine to pinch hit and told her to hit the ball in the gap. Valentine crushed a ball off the scoreboard in left field to give Alabama the two-run lead.

"For me in a pinch hit situation, I had nothing to lose, so I just trusted what I put in all offseason," Valentine said after the game. "We had a good week of practice. So I just got in the box, trusted it, did what he said and hit a ball in the gap."

The Crimson Tide tacked on a few more runs with base hits from Bailey Dowling, Larissa Preuitt and Kenleigh Cahalan for a five-run ninth inning, and No. 14 Alabama beat Southeastern Louisiana 6-3 to advance to the NCAA Tuscaloosa regional championship.

The five-run rally in the ninth matched the number of runs the Tide plated over its previous four games, which included 38 innings. It was Valentine's first home run since Feb. 24 against Bradley and just her third of the season.

SLU was able to push the game to extra innings because of a defensive mistake by Alabama in the sixth inning. Beaver had been cruising through five, but two singles gave the Lions runners on the corners with two outs. SLU attempted a double steal, and both runners were safe after Alabama attempted to throw out the runner going to second. It tied the game at 1-1.

"We talk about being gritty, not pretty. Bend, but don't break. And that's an example of that today," Murphy said. "Obviously the sixth inning didn't go the way we wanted it to, and then Beaver does the rest."

Alabama got on the board first in the fourth inning when Marlie Giles scored from first on a base hit by Jenna Johnson aided by an error from the Lions' centerfielder. Both Giles and Johnson reached base twice on Saturday.

The Crimson Tide's opponent for Sunday's regional championship will be determined from the results of the rest of Saturday's games.

"Tomorrow we need to take it one step at a time," Beaver said. "Try not to get ahead of ourselves. Take that momentum into the first inning, step on 'em early. Keep it simple. Be where our feet are."