Alabama Softball Opens Elite Invitational With 7-1 Victory Over Liberty

Senior Krystal Goodman notches first win of season with complete game
Alabama Softball Opens Elite Invitational With 7-1 Victory Over Liberty
Alabama Softball Opens Elite Invitational With 7-1 Victory Over Liberty /

The University of Alabama softball team turned eight hits into seven runs while pulling off a 7-1 victory over Liberty to open the St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational on Thursday morning.  

Senior pitcher Krystal Goodman earned the win, her first of the season, going all seven innings. She only gave up one run and struck out four batters on 105 pitches.

The Crimson Tide benefitted from the return of Maddie Morgan (suspended) at third base and early enrollee freshman catcher Abby Doerr playing her first game. 

Senior first baseman Bailey Hemphill got the offense going in the first inning with a RBI single that scored outfielder Alexis Mack. The Flames were able to tie the game up in the bottom of the 2nd after a RBI single from Madison Via. 

Doerr had a memorable debut, knocking a 2-run homer in the 4th inning that broke the tie and put the Crimson Tide ahead, 3-1. 

Alabama added two more runs in the 5th on junior outfielder Kaylee Tow's RBI sacrifice fly and senior infielder's Taylor Clark's RBI groundout. 

The 6th and 7th frames saw the Crimson Tide add on to its lead with freshman infielder Savannah Woodard hitting a RBI single and freshman Jeanna Johnson scoring a run on a groundout to the shortstop, respectively. 

It was the first time during this young season that Alabama did not commit an error. The team had nine combined through its four games. 

The Crimson Tide will face No. 1 Washington later in the day (3 p.m. CT, ESPN2). 

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Published
Christopher Walsh
CHRISTOPHER WALSH

Christopher Walsh is the founder and publisher of BamaCentral, which first published in 2018. He's covered the Crimson Tide since 2004, and is the author of 26 books including Decade of Dominance, 100 Things Crimson Tide Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die, Nick Saban vs. College Football, and Bama Dynasty: The Crimson Tide's Road to College Football Immortality. He's an eight-time honoree of Football Writers Association of America awards and three-time winner of the Herby Kirby Memorial Award, the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s highest writing honor for story of the year. In 2022, he was named one of the 50 Legends of the ASWA. Previous beats include the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks. Originally from Minnesota and a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, he currently resides in Tuscaloosa.