Alabama Softball Shuts Out Middle Tennessee in Saturday Doubleheader
10/8/2016 8:12:00 PM | Softball
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama softball shut out Middle Tennessee State in both games of a Saturday doubleheader to open the Crimson Tide's fall season, winning by scores of 6-0 and 13-0.
"I was really happy with how our defense played and how the pitchers attacked the zone," UA head coach Patrick Murphy said. "It was a great day for our freshmen to get to play their first game at Rhoads Stadium."
Alabama got the scoring started early in game one, driving in three runs in the first inning on a trio of RBI singles by Merris Schroder, Peyton Grantham and Sydney Booker. The Tide added two more in the second inning on an RBI groundout by Schroder and an RBI double by Bailey Hemphill to drive in fellow freshman Gabby Callaway. In the fifth inning, Hemphill blasted a solo home run to make it 6-0, which ultimately proved final. Sydney Littlejohn threw 4.0 shutout innings with four strikeouts in the start while Madi Moore pitched 3.0 relief innings behind her.
In game two, the Tide started fast again, making it a 4-0 game in the first inning. With Chandler Dare at third base, Marisa Runyon hit a sacrifice fly for the first run of the game and Hemphill drove in Mari Cranek on a hit up the middle before back-to-back RBI doubles by Grantham and Caroline Hardy. A two-run single in the second by Cranek made it 6-0 and a pinch-hit double by Callaway in the third drove in Grantham and Hardy to make it 8-0. Alabama tacked on three more in the fourth inning to make it 11-0 and the two teams opted to play the bottom half of the fifth inning despite the 11-run lead. The Tide would add a pair of runs in the extra half-inning with RBI singles by Hemphill and Hardy. Alexis Osorio got the start in the circle, fanning eight batters over 4.0 innings of work, while Moore went three-up, three-down in a scoreless top of the fifth.
Alabama will be back in action tomorrow afternoon, hosting Spring Hill College for a doubleheader at 1:30 p.m. CT at Rhoads Stadium.
