Stanford ends Alabama season, regional title streak

In a scoreless recreation, each element mattered. With Alabama’s softball season and a 16-year streak of regional titles dangling by the thinnest of threads, Stanford made the performs that matted.

Three clutch sixth-inning hits gave the Cardinal all it wanted earlier than pouring it on within the seventh for a 6-0 win that ended Alabama’s season. With it, a streak of successful each NCAA regional title since 2005 ended for a Crimson Tide crew whose bats went chilly on one other steamy afternoon in Rhoads Stadium.

Alabama (44-13) received an elimination recreation earlier Sunday, 4-0 over Stanford, to pressure the winner-take-all closing.

Stanford (39-20) advances to play the winner of the Knoxville Regional within the tremendous regional spherical.

Crimson Tide ace Montana Fouts left the sport to a standing ovation after Stanford broke issues open on her 245th and closing pitch of the day. She went all seven innings within the Sport 1 win Sunday however the dam broke within the seventh when the run assist once more dried up.

Stanford cleared the bases on a bloop to middle within the seventh to finish any hope of a comeback. It obtained the essential first two runs an inning earlier after they entered the sixth deadlocked with little momentum for both facet.

Taylor Gindlesperger led off with a single earlier than Sydnee Huff hit a line drive that simply barely missed the glove of Alabama shortstop Bailey Downing. Two batters later, the small element got here with Aly Kaneshiro’s fly ball hit the glove of a sprinting Dallis Goodnight in deep middle. It scored the 2 runs that in the end had been sufficient to clip Alabama’s season.

The Crimson Tide managed simply two hits within the first six innings of the ultimate recreation during which it left six runners stranded.

This publish will likely be up to date.

Michael Casagrande is a reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Observe him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or on Fb.