Up and Down Day for Alabama Softball in SEC Opener

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- It was far from a perfect SEC opening weekend for the No. 23 Alabama softball team.

There were gold glove plays on defense with big-time hitting and clutch pitching.

There were also lapses on the basepath, some costly mistakes in the field and some inconsistency at the plate and in the circle.

It all added up to a split with No. 19 Mississippi State in a doubleheader Friday. Alabama dropped the first game 9-1 in six innings, but rebounded to take the second game 7-4. Alabama goes for the series win Sunday at 1:30 p.m.

The Crimson Tide bats were out of sync in Game 1. Bulldog pitcher Raelin Chaffin had a lot to do with that. She recorded her 100th strikeout of the season while keeping Alabama hitters at bay.

Game 2 saw a more aggressive Tide, swinging early in the count and finding success. Alabama outhit the Bulldogs in the nightcap 12-6. Still, Alabama walked seven and committed three errors. which helped lead to four unearned runs.

"We're like Goodwill. We're just giving it away," Alabama coach Patrick Murphy said. "We've got to stop that."

Game 1: MSU 9, Alabama 1 (6 innings)

It was a rough outing for Jocelyn Briski. And quick. She pitched just two innings, allowed three runs on four hits with two strikeouts and two walks.

She walked the leadoff hitter and gave up a single. Later, Jessie Blaine’s RBI single made it 1-0 Bulldogs.

Alabama got two quick outs in the second before a walk and an RBI double from Sierra Sacco made it a 2-0 lead. Sacco then scored on a single from Nadia Barbary and the Crimson Tide was in a 3-0 hole.

MSU’s Blaine and Morgan Bernardini blasted solo home runs off Catelyn Riley to make it 5-0 in the fifth inning.

Larissa Preuitt scored Bama’s lone in the fifth on a Bulldog error.

The Bulldogs added four runs in the sixth, including a three-run home run from Kylee Edwards, to make it 9-1.

The Bulldogs had 12 total hits with three home runs. Chaffin (13-1) got the win, allowing eight hits in six innings with seven strikeouts.

The loss ended a seven-game win streak for Alabama against Mississippi State. It's just the fourth loss against the Bulldogs in 38 games.

Preuitt had two of Alabama’s eight hits. Briski (8-6) took the loss.

Game 2: Alabama 7, MSU 4

Alabama took a 3-1 lead in the first inning thanks to a sac fly from Kali Heivilin and a two-run triple from Brooke Ellestad.

Briski got out of a jam in the third after loading the bases courtesy of two walks and an infield error. The Tide turned a double play to end the threat.

Alabama’s third error of the game with two outs proved costly. Instead of getting out of the fourth inning, Mississippi State plated three runs on back-to-back hits and took a 4-3 lead.

Alabama’s Alexis Pupillo drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game 4-4. Abby Duchscherer also drew a walk and Alabama retook the lead.

Defense got the Tide out of another jam in the fifth. With runners on second and third with one out, shortstop Salen Hawkins snagged a line drive for the out and doubled up the runner on third for the double play.

"The start of the year we set goals for the year and one was not to lose back-to-back," Preuitt said. "We didn't press but we were confident."

Briski fared better in Game 2, allowing four runs on five hits. Alea Johnson pitched three innings of relief, allowing just one hit to earn the win.

"I just tried to throw through the zone and let my defense have my back," Johnson said. "We talk about winning the game within the game--try to win each at-bat, win each pitch. That's the mindset I had going in."

Duchscherer put the game away with a two-out, two-run home run in the sixth to make it a 7-4 lead. Duchscherer, Preuitt, Audrey Vandagriff and Marlie Giles all had two hits.