Alabama Crimson Tide Advances to Winner’s Bracket of NCAA Softball Regional

The Crimson Tide (39-21) took care of business by winning the first two games of the Tuscaloosa Regional. Now, they can sit back and watch the others duke it out to see who gets to attempt to beat Alabama twice on Sunday.

GAME 1: ALABAMA 8, JACKSON STATE 0 – (Run Rule, 5 innings)

One hit run-rule victory is about what one would expect against this ghastly awful team. Forgotten pitcher Emily Winstead got the start and hurled four innings of shutout ball, allowing only a walk and a single. Alea Johnson tossed a perfect 5th inning with two strikeouts.

Kali Heivilin went 2 for 3 with a pair of RBIs. Brooke Ellestad snapped a five game hitless streak with a one-run single and also collected a second RBI on a sac fly. Salen Hawkins continues to swing a hot bat including a double that scored two.

Apropos to the day, Bama scored the winning run on a wild pitch.

NOTES

• Five different Tide players stole a base. JSU did not attempt a swipe.
• Two Tigers pitchers tallied three wild pitches in the final frame.
• Virginia Tech also had a one-hit shutout in the day’s other game, winning 5-0. Interestingly, the Hokies went with their No. 1 pitcher Emma Lemley in this game.

GAME 2: ALABAMA 4, VIRGINIA TECH 3

Jocelyn Briski got off to a dubious start, walking the first two batters she faced. After a mound visit from pitching coach Lance McMahon, she rebounded with a three-pitch strikeout, but then gave up a pair of singles to get the Tide into an early 1-0 hole. The next batter hit a grounder to Abby Duchscherer who gunned a throw home to nab the lead runner. The third hit of the inning plated a second run but an overaggressive Hokie tried to score from second base and was thrown out by Lauren Johnson at the plate (yep, the same Lauren Johnson who Patrick Murphy keeps replacing in the field late in games). The runner was initially called safe, but a video challenge reversed the call.

Brooke Ellestad led off the 2nd with a single and advanced to second base on a wild pitch. Duchscherer struck out swinging at a ball in the dirt. On dropped-third-strike, a batter is allowed to attempt to make it safely to first base. She was thrown out at first, but Ellestad smartly came all the way around from second base to score the Tide’s first run.

In the 3rd, Audrey Vandagriff led off with a walk, stole second base, and advanced to third on a throwing error by the catcher. VT challenged the call at third but it was upheld and it is a good thing it was because Kali Heivilin then gave Alabama their first lead of the game on a bomb to dead centerfield.

More solid defense from the Tide in the 4th. After a leadoff double, VT subbed in a pinch-runner. On a bunt by the next batter, the speed-specialist was thrown out as third, Ellestad-to-Hawkins.

In the bottom of the frame, Alabama worked some two out magic when a walk and an error put two on for Vandagriff who singled in the fourth Alabama run of the game and they would need it.

Va Tech would close the gap in the 5th on a one-out solo home run.

Alabama was living dangerously in the 7th up 4-3. Briski gave up a leadoff single on the first pitch. Two grounders put a runner to second at second base with two outs. With first base open, Murphy called for an intentional walk. A flyout ended the game.

NOTES:

• It wasn’t pretty but Briski went the distance. She gave up seven hits, five walks, and three earned runs. Five Hokies went down on strikes. It was the Tide defense that was the real hero of this game.
• Ellestad seems to have broken out of whatever funk she had been in lately. She recorded a hit in the second straight game and made some nice plays in the field.
• Salen Hawkins committed her first error of the month of May. It did not lead to a run.
• Tech had three errors and four wild pitches in the game.

SERIES NOTES

• Been saying it most of the year: Kali Heivilin is the real team captain of this Team29. She might just sneak into a Third Team All-American honor.
• Mari Hubbard made her second start in a row as designated player, but went hitless in both games, 0-6 overall. Gut® move.
• Vandagriff’s stolen base was her 50th of the season. It is the fourth most by a Tide player in a season behind four-time Tide All-American Brittany Rogers (60), Kayla Braud (58), and again Rogers (52). It is the most by far by a Tide freshman.

MVP

HEIVILIN – 3 for 4, HR, 2 RUNS, 4 RBI, SB, 2 BB – one out in six plate appearances.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE

Saturday:

• Game 4: Belmont vs. Jackson State, 1:30/2:30 (loser eliminated)
• Game 5: Winner Game 4 vs. Virginia Tech, 4pm/5pm (loser eliminated)

Sunday:

• Game 6: Alabama vs. Winner Game 5, 1pm/2pm
• Game 7 (if necessary): Rematch Game 6, 3:30/4:30

TV… ALLEGEDLY

Depending on who the Tide plays, they could make it to a regular ESPN channel. Otherwise, it’s the stream.

POSITIVE THINKING SCHEDULE

• Thu May 22 – Sun May 25: NCAA Super Regional
• Thu May 29 – Fri Jun 6: Women’s College World Series, Oklahoma City, OK

OTHERS

• On Friday, Auburn lost to USF and LSU was upset by SE Louisiana. On Saturday, FSU topped South Fla 8-0 and Nebraska hammered SELA 14-1.
• Also on Saturday, Texas mercilessly pounded B1G champ Michigan 16-4.
• I previously mentioned how astonished I was that 4-seed Arkansas got stuck with a strong Oklahoma State team in their regional. The Cowpokes and the Hogs 5-5 went to extra innings before Arky won 6-5.
• Another one pointed out was UGA at Duke. The Dwags won 8-2.

#RollTide #Team29