Alabama
45-6, 17-5
South Carolina
30-23, 7-15
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Carolina | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 0 |
| Alabama | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | X | 3 | 5 | 2 |
Alabama Wins Back-and-Forth Series Opener vs. South Carolina, 3-2
4/30/2026 9:51:00 PM | Softball
Brooke Wells hits her 21st home run of the season, tying her for third
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama softball won a back-and-forth series opener against South Carolina, 3-2, Thursday night at Rhoads Stadium.
Alabama (45-6, 17-5 SEC) fell behind in the top of the second inning after South Carolina (30-23, 7-15 SEC) scored on a two-out fielding error. Brooke Wells gave the Crimson Tide the lead in the bottom half of the inning with a two-run home run, her 21st of the year as she is now tied with Kaila Hunt (2012) for third on Alabama's single season home run records. With the score still 2-1 in the top of the sixth, South Carolina took advantage of another Alabama error to tie the game at 2-2 off the unearned run. Wells led off the bottom half of the sixth with a double and then, with Kinley Pate pinch running, a groundout advanced her to third and a wild pitch on ball four to Marlie Giles allowed Pate to sprint home as the go-ahead run. Now leading 3-2, Vic Moten (17-4) pitched a 1-2-3 seventh to clinch the win.
With the threat of inclement weather late in the afternoon on Friday, game two between Alabama and South Carolina has been moved to a 12:30 p.m. CT start.
From Head Coach Patrick Murphy
"A saying we've had for years is 'gritty not pretty'. I'll be the first to say that. I'll take a gritty win over a pretty loss any day. I thought Jocelyn [Briski] and Vic [Moten] pitched pretty well. Brooke [Wells] basically was the offense with a home run, a double and then Kinley Pate pinch ran for her and scored the winning run. Salen [Hawkins] made a hell of a play at short and Kristen [White] made two really good catches in center field that a lot of people wouldn't even get to. It's almost like the postseason saying 'survive and advance'. Sometimes that's all you need to do."
Highlights
- Alabama snapped a three-game losing streak against South Carolina
- Thursday's win secures a top four seed and a double bye for Alabama in next week's SEC Tournament
- Brooke Wells hit her 21st home run of the season, tying Kaila Hunt (2012) for third place on Alabama's single season home run records
- Wells also extended her reached base streak to a team-leading 13 games
Scoring Summary
- T3 | South Carolina scored on a two-out fielding error (0-1, 2 Out)
- B3 | Brooke Wells blasted at two run home run (2-1, 1 Out)
- T6 | The Gamecocks tied the game on a throwing error (2-2, 2 Out)
- B6 | Kinley Pate scored from third on a wild pitch (3-2, 1 Out)
Up Next: vs. #RV/24 South Carolina (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
- Friday, May 1 – 12:30 p.m. CT
- Saturday, May 2 – 1 p.m. CT
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Moten, Vic (17-4)
L: Jori Heard (11-9)
Batting:
2B: Tori Ensley 1 ; Lexi Winters 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Tori Ensley 1 ; Ansley Bennett 1
Batting:
2B: Wells, Brooke 1
HR: Wells, Brooke 1
RBI: Wells, Brooke 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Pupillo, Alexis 1 ; Wells, Brooke 1 ; Pate, Kinley 1
