Alabama Softball Bounced from SEC Tournament by Missouri

After successful final yr’s SEC Event, Alabama’s title protection was short-lived this season. The No. 2 seed Crimson Tide suffered a 3-0 loss to No. 7 seed Missouri on Thursday to finish its run within the single-elimination event. This yr marks the primary time since 1999 that Alabama has misplaced its opening sport of the SEC Event.

Missouri (35-19) will advance to the semifinals the place it would face No. 3 seed Tennessee (39-15) on Friday. Alabama (41-11) will now wait till Sunday to search out out its NCAA Event destiny.

A slumping Crimson Tide lineup couldn’t work out Missouri beginning pitcher Laurin Krings (14-8). In the meantime, a strong begin from Alabama’s Montana Fouts (22-6) was undone within the sixth inning as a pair of hits and two Tide errors allowed the Tigers to plate three runs.

With the sport scoreless, Missouri led off the highest of the sixth with a double from Jenna Laird. From there, Alabama deliberately walked Kimberly Wert earlier than an error from Fouts loaded the bases with no outs.

Kendyll Bailley lifted a sacrifice fly to middle to offer Missouri its first run. Two batters, later Kara Daly doubled the Tigers’ benefit with a two-out single up the center. Missouri added its third run on Alabama’s second error of the inning as freshman Kali Heivilin dropped a routine pop-up at second base.

Krings saved Alabama’s bats at bay all afternoon, giving up 5 hits whereas hanging out three batters in a complete-game shutout. Alabama has scored 4 or fewer runs in every of its final 9 video games, courting again to a 6-1 victory over North Alabama on April 19.

“We had ball 4 like thrice, and I believe we swung at it and both struck out or popped up,” Alabama head coach Patrick Murphy mentioned after the sport. “Then we had a whole lot of first-pitch pop-ups that simply didn’t go wherever. So clearly her ball was shifting, and it was simply an old school pitchers’ twin for 5 innings.”

Fouts gave up three runs, one earned, on 5 hits whereas hanging out 5 batters and issuing a stroll over seven innings. It was her fourth look towards Missouri within the span of fewer than seven days. 

Fouts was named SEC Pitcher of the Week after holding the Tigers to 4 runs, three earned, on 12 hits over 17⅔ innings throughout Alabama’s collection win towards Missouri over the weekend. The senior seemed as if she would proceed that dominance till issues went south within the high of the sixth inning. 

“We needed to rating for her. We needed to rating runs,” Murphy mentioned. “She was positive. It was one earned run. She solely walked one, so I assumed she did nice.”

Missouri would have had 5 runs if not for a pair of good throws from shortstop Bailey Dowling and first baseman Kaylee Tow. 

The Tigers almost scored within the high of the primary inning as they put runners on second and third with one out. Nonetheless, Dowling fielded a hard-hit floor ball at quick and fired it dwelling to gun down Missouri’s Jenna Laird for the second out of the inning. Tow saved a run similarly throughout the sixth inning, fielding a floor ball at first earlier than throwing it to catcher Ally Shipman, who barely obtained a glove on Missouri’s Maddie Snider on the plate.

“I assumed each of them had been nice throws, Tow and [Dowling],” Murphy mentioned. “If it is a excessive throw or if it is on the other aspect, each runners are secure.”

Thursday’s sport was initially slated to start at 1:30 p.m. CT however was pushed again greater than two hours after Tennessee and Mississippi State went 13 innings in an eventual 1-0 win for the Woman Volunteers. Following Alabama’s loss, Murphy mentioned the delay didn’t have an effect on his crew’s efficiency. 

“They’re used to this,” Murphy mentioned. “They play summer time ball till they’re eight to 18, and so they sit at a discipline for 14 hours on a Saturday and a Sunday. They’re used to this.”