Alabama Softball Posts Decisive Win to Even Series With Arkansas

Crimson Tide tallies 10 runs on 12 hits to top Razorbacks in six innings

Alabama Athletics

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — After struggling offensively in the series opener, Alabama's bats came alive to pace a 10-2 victory over No. 20 Arkansas on Saturday afternoon. 

Celebrating her senior day, Alexis Mack went 3-for-4 with two runs scored, for her third three-hit game of the season

Every batter in the No. 9 Crimson Tide lineup reached base safely at least once, with juniors KB Sides and Maddie Morgan and freshman Jenna Johnson also having multi-hit games. Morgan and Johnson combined for four of the team’s seven RBIs, with Johnson hitting her first career home run. 

“It starts at the top," Crimson Tide coach Patrick Murphy said in a statement. "Mack was on three times, KB had three runs. We put the ball in play and made things happen. You can feel a defense get tense when our speed kids come up because they know if you bobble a ball, our kid is going to be safe. Especially one like Mack. Everyone in the park knows she is going to bunt and she still is going to beat it out.

“I wanted to take a little pressure off of her on her senior day. She worried about possibly being out of the box. As the leadoff and her senior day I wanted her to take it easy and I think moving her to second in the lineup helped.”

Freshman Lexi Kilfoyl (5-4) threw 116 pitches over six innings, with four hits and six strikeouts. She gave up both runs in the first inning, and just two hits thereafter. 

Jenna Bloom (3-2), threw 65 pitches over two innings before getting pulled for Arkansas (17-5, 1-1 SEC). 

Alabama (13-8, 1-1 SEC) pulled ahead for good with a three-run rally in the third inning. Morgan managed a bases-loaded walk, pushing Alabama to a 3-2 lead. Freshman Savannah Woodard hit a deep fly ball to right to score Sides, and Johnson drove in a run with an RBI double. 

The Crimson Tide put the game away in the sixth.

Johnson's home run started the rally. Mack hit a bunt single that drove freshman Abby Doerr home. Sides managed an RBI-single which was followed by two additional runs.

The series rubber match is set for a 1:30 p.m. CT first pitch on Sunday.