Alabama Softball Rallies to Beat Missouri 3-1
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Coming into the series against Missouri, Alabama softball coach Patrick Murphy said it was going to take one person to come through with that clutch hit the team so desperately needed in its recent stretch of games. On Saturday afternoon, that person was Abby Doerr.
Before Doerr stepped to the plate in the bottom of the sixth inning with Ally Shipman and Bailey Dowling standing on second and third, the Crimson Tide was three-for its last 43 with runners in scoring position. She struck out looking at three consecutive pitches in her previous at bat.
But in the sixth inning, Doerr delivered with a two-RBI single to score Shipman and Dowling.
"What was going through my mind was like, I couldn’t get worse than the last at-bat, so might as well go out swinging," Doerr said. "I’m just happy that Shipman and Dowling got on with that walk, and Jenna Lord moved her, so that was big. I’m just happy I got the opportunity."
The two runs would prove to be the difference as No. 8 Alabama held on to beat No. 23 Missouri 3-1 in the Power of Pink game at Rhoads Stadium Saturday afternoon.
With Lexi Kilfoyl day-to-day according to the TV broadcast, redshirt freshman Alex Salter got the start in the circle for the first time in SEC play. She allowed a first inning solo home run to Kendyll Bailey, but that was all.
Salter was able to work around traffic on the bases all game, including a bases loaded jam in the third. After an intentional walk to Missouri's home run leader Kimberly Wert loaded the bases with one out, Salter responded with back to back strikeouts to keep the Tigers off the board in the inning.
"She redshirted last year, so we really didn’t see much," Dowling said about Salter. "Her coming in here, she has all the confidence in the world, and it was so amazing to play behind her."
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Montana Fouts came in from the bullpen to relive Salter in the fifth with runners on the corner. She also ended a bases loaded jam in the fifth with a strikeout.
Fouts struck out the side in the top of the seventh to slam the door on the Tigers and take home game two.
Dowling and Shipman got the scoring started in the first. After Shipman battled through a 10-pitch at-bat to single, Dowling followed it up with a 12-pitch at-bat and RBI double to tie the game at 1-1. Shipman finished the game with two hits, and Dowling had one hit and two walks.
"We just had more grit during that game, and it showed," Dowling said. "It came down to it, and we got it done. It was just a great team win."
The players and coaches are headed to Birmingham tonight for Murphy's induction into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame before wrapping up the series against Missouri on Sunday at 1 p.m.
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