Softball On SI

No. 18 Alabama Softball Uses Big First Inning to Defeat No. 11 Florida

No. 18 Alabama softball surged past No. 11 Florida with a seven-run first inning, securing a decisive victory in their SEC matchup.
Maren Angus-Coombs|
Alabama softball's Audrey Vandagriff smiles and points at her teammates after scoring a run against Florida.
Alabama softball's Audrey Vandagriff smiles and points at her teammates after scoring a run against Florida. | Alabama Athletics

The No. 18 Alabama Crimson Tide rolled in Gainesville Thursday and used a huge first inning to upset the No. 11 Florida Gators at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium..

Alabama scored seven runs in the opening frame and beat Florida 7-4 to open the three-game series.

The seven runs were the most Alabama hd scored in an inning in SEC play since 2019.

Carrying momentum from a series win against No. 2 Oklahoma, Alabama jumped all over Florida starter Keagan Rothrock and didn't let her finish the first inning. The sophomore recorded just two outs while surrendering all seven runs (two earned) on four hits and one walk.

The disastrous starter wasn't entirely Rothrock's fault as her defense committed a couple of uncharacteristic errors. However, she did not strike out a single Alabama batter.

Once Rothrock was pulled, Olivia Miller and Kara Hammock combined for 6.1 scoreless innings.

Jocelyn Briski and Catelyn Riley continued to pitch well for Alabama. Briski got the win, allowing three runs with only two earned on four hits, while Riley earned her second save of the year, pitching 2.2 innings of one-run softball.

Freshman superstar Audrey Vandagriff got the Tide going in the first, leading off with a single and then swiping her 47th stolen base of the season. Alabama batted around bringing the lefty back up with the bases loaded and she delivered a bases-clearing double to cap the scoring.

Vandagriff finished the night 2-for-3 with a double, one run scored and three RBIs. Seven players scored for Alabama with Marlie Giles and Lauren Johnson each collected an RBI.

Kendra Falby had the only multi-hit performance for Florida, going 2-for-2 with two walks and an RBI.

Game two of the series is set for Friday at 6 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.

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Maren Angus-Coombs
MAREN ANGUS-COOMBS

Maren Angus-Coombs was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and has been a sports writer since 2008. She has been covering college softball since 2016 for various outlets including Softball America, ESPNW and Hurrdat Sports. She is currently the managing editor of Softball On SI and also serves as an analyst for Nebraska softball games on Nebraska Public Media and B1G+.

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