tuscaloosa, alabama – The Alabama softball team fought back in the bottom of the seventh inning, sending Saturday's game against Virginia Tech into overtime, but the Hokies scored five runs in the eighth inning, ultimately splitting the weekend series and defeating the Crimson. – Defeated the Tide 8-3.
Alabama (25-6) left two Virginia Tech (25-5-1) batters on base in the second and third innings, and the Hokies took the lead with a solo home run in the fourth. In the top of the 5th inning, with one out and the bases loaded, the Tide were hit by a double play and were unable to turn the game around, resulting in an RBI grounder, making the score 2-0. Alabama had doubles in both the fifth and sixth innings, but was unable to score. The Hokies added insurance with a sac fly RBI single in the top of the seventh inning to make it 3-0.
In the bottom of the 7th inning, the lead was 3 points, Kendall Clark He hit the ball hard and sent it into the right field corner, giving him the leadoff triple. After the out number 1 pop-up, Lauren Essman He pulled a single from the right side and drove in Clark, erasing the shutout. A close bunt in the first inning resulted in two outs, and a pinch runner advanced. Kinley Pate secondly, and jenna johnson He drew a walk and brought the winning run to the plate. Cahalan hit his second triple of the day, driving in two runs and tying the score at 3-3, but a strikeout ended the rally and sent the game into overtime.
However, the Hokies fought back in the top of the 8th inning, scoring 5 runs to take an 8-3 lead, and Alabama ended the game falling in order in the bottom half.
Cahalan went 2-for-4 with two triples, making him the fifth player in program history to hit two triples and the first since Sidney Booker against UAB on March 20, 2018. Ta. jenna johnson He had a hit and a run scored in the seventh inning, and has had hits in four of his last five games. Four pitchers saw time in the circle. Aleah Johnson (3-1) In the end, a loss occurred.
“I thought it was a really great series. Again, I really appreciate Virginia Tech being here on open weekend. We both had open weekend and conference play started.” We don't really get a chance to play against top 15 players after that, so I'm really grateful that they went down. They're a really good team and their offense showed that today. They tied it up in the bottom of the seventh inning. I was really proud of our team. When we were down, our goal was always to bring the game-tying or game-winning hit to the plate, and we did that. Sometimes things go our way, sometimes they don't. Unfortunately, today was one of those days where that didn't happen, but overall it was a really great game.''This was a great series for both teams, with great pitching from both teams. ”
highlight
- It was Alabama's first ever loss against Virginia Tech, and it improved to 7-1 against the Hokies.
- The Crimson Tide is 6-5 against top-ranked opponents this season.
- The game will be Alabama's first overtime game of the year and the first since last season's SEC Tournament vs. Arkansas on May 11th.
- The Tide hit three triples in the game, tying the school's single-game record and the first since February 14, 2016, against Liberty.
- Kenley Cahalan's The two triples mark the fifth time in program history that a player has hit two triples in one game, and the first since March 20, 2018 against Sidney Booker vs. UAB.
- Cahalan was 2-for-4 on the day, hitting in six of his last seven games and going 7-for-19 (.368) with three doubles, two triples, one home run and eight RBIs during that span. .
Score overview
- T4 | Cori McMillan takes the lead in the first inning with a solo home run (0-1, 0 outs)
- T5 | The bases were loaded and Virginia Tech scored on a ground ball (0-2, 1 out)
- T7 | Hokies added insurance with a sac fly RBI (0-3, 1 out)
- B7 | Lauren Essman Scored an RBI over the right field (1-3, 1 out)
- B7 | Kenley Cahalan Tie score with a 2-run triple (3-3, 2 outs)
- T8 | Hokies regain the lead with a two-run hit (3-5, 1 out)
- T8 | Extra point for VT on wild pitch (3-6, 2 outs)
- T8 | Michelle Chatfield hits a two-run home run (3-8, 2 outs)
Next up: #RV/23 Kentucky (Lexington, Kentucky)
- Thursday, March 28th – 5:30pm (Central Time)
- Friday, March 29th – 5:30pm Central Time
- Saturday, March 30th – 1pm (Central Time)
For team updates, follow @AlabamaSB on X/Twitter, BamaSB on Instagram and Alabama Softball on Facebook. General sports news can also be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and AlabamaAthletics on Facebook.
