Alabama Softball Closes Perfect Opening Weekend with 8-3 Win over New Mexico

Team 26 is off to a 4-0 start.

For the first time this season, Alabama softball did not hit a home run in a game, but there was still enough fire power from the offense to score eight runs in the weekend finale.

The No. 2 Crimson Tide capped a 4-0 opening weekend with the 8-3 victory over New Mexico Sunday afternoon at the Candrea Classic in Arizona. 

It was the Alabama debut in the circle for redshirt freshman pitcher Alex Salter. She earned the win going 6.1 innings while allowing three runs on five hits with six strikeouts. 

Through the first four games, Alabama's leading hitter is freshman Megan Bloodworth who is now hitting .600 with three home runs and seven RBIs. She added another on Sunday with an RBI-triple that capped Alabamas' big four-run first inning. 

Fellow freshman Dallis Goodnight got the scoring started with an RBI double to score Jenna Johnson. Goodnight would come around to score her first of three runs of the day off a sac fly from Bailey Dowling. In the leadoff role this weekend, Johnson hit .500 with two RBIs and five runs scored. 

Alabama added three more runs in the fourth inning with another RBI double from Goodnight and Kaylee Tow's first hit of the weekend that drove in two runs. 

The Lobos didn't get on the board until a Taryn Young home run in the top of the sixth. New Mexico would add two more runs in the seventh inning after stringing together a couple of singles, but the door was slammed shut on any hopes for the Lobos when Lexi Kilfoyl came in to relive Salter and get the final two outs as Alabama held on for the 8-3 win. 

Before the tournament started, head coach Patrick Murphy said he watned to give every player an opportunity to hit this weekend and allow all four pitchers to start. He did just that with every position player getting at least one at-bat and a different starter in the circle for all four games.

Now, Alabama heads back to Tuscaloosa for the Easton Bama Bash with five games at Rhoads Stadium from Friday to Sunday beginning with Evansville on Friday at 1:30 p.m. CT.