Alabama Softball Wins on Walk-off Wild Pitch

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The house run, strikeout or double play is perhaps extra flashy, and there have been all these issues in Thursday evening’s matchup between Alabama and Mississippi State, however generally it simply comes right down to good base working. 

In a tie sport within the backside of the seventh inning, Savannah Woodard pinch ran for Bailey Dowling after Dowling led off the inning with a single. Woodard moved to 3rd on a base hit from Kaylee Tow, after which got here round to attain the game-winning run on a walk-off wild pitch as No. 2 Alabama took the collection opener from Mississippi State 2-1 at Rhoads Stadium.

“Within the backside of the seventh, it was an amazing at-bat by Dowling, good at-bat by Tow, however the important thing to the entire thing although was Savannah’s base working, and he or she’s one of the best baserunner on the group,” mentioned Alabama head coach Patrick Murphy. 

It was Alabama’s first non-run-rule walk-off win since June 2, 2019 towards Oklahoma on the Ladies’s School World Sequence. 

The Crimson Tide and Bulldogs had been locked in a scoreless battle by 5 innings with only one hit from every group. Starters Montana Fouts and Aspen Wesley had been preserving hitters from either side off stability. 

Then Mississippi State led off the sixth with a single from nine-hole hitter Riley Hull. Fouts acquired a groundout for the following out, however the Bulldog runner moved into scoring place for the SEC’s dwelling run chief Mia Davidson. Alabama selected to deliberately stroll Davidson as a result of Murphy mentioned they weren’t going to let Davidson be the one to beat them. After one other single, the Bulldogs scored the primary run of the sport on a sacrifice fly to get the 1-0 lead. 

Alabama freshman Megan Bloodworth mentioned the group knew they wanted to attain within the sixth anyway because it was 0-0 heading into the inning, however the Mississippi State run created a way of urgency, and Bloodworth responded. She hit her first dwelling run in SEC deep over the left subject wall to tie the sport at 1-1.

“I used to be simply searching for one thing I may deal with, after which as soon as I acquired two strikes, clearly something that may very well be a strike, you must battle,” Bloodworth mentioned. “So she simply threw the changeup, and I hit it.”

It was Bloodworth’s sixth dwelling run on the season, however simply the third since opening weekend. She strikes into second place on the groups in dwelling run. 

Regardless that Fouts wasn’t getting any run help for almost all of the sport, it didn’t trigger her to really feel any strain due to the arrogance she has in her teammates. 

“I do know that they are finally going to get it completed,” Fouts mentioned. “And I believe that they need it so dangerous, and I do know that. They’re going to have my again on protection. I simply gotta do my factor, they usually’ve acquired to do theirs, they usually all the time do.”

Fouts additionally did her factor Thursday evening. She delivered considered one of her finest begins in SEC play this season with the entire sport, 11-strikeout, two-walk efficiency whereas solely giving up three hits and the one earned run.

“I assumed she managed their offense,” Murphy mentioned. “I believe 11 Ks, and one of many walks was intentional, so she was inside the strike zone rather a lot. I assumed velocity was good, so typical efficiency by her.”

In opposition to a group with the ability potential that Mississippi State has, Fouts mentioned she has to focus extra on motion reasonably than velocity. 

The Crimson Tide (34-6, 11-5 SEC) and Bulldogs (26-15, 7-6 SEC) will meet once more Friday at 6 p.m on SEC Community+.

“We have to hit some extra early within the sport,” Murphy mentioned. “We have to put strain on them. They have to really feel it.”

This story shall be up to date with video.