Recap | Softball open SEC play in good fashion

(photo credits: Hannah Saad)

No. 4/4 Alabama softball (20-1, 1-0 SEC) showcased a strong performance in all facets of Friday night’s, Mar. 12, conference opener with a 5-0 victory against in-state rival No.22/21 Auburn (16-2, 0-1 SEC).

In hindsight, the Crimson Tide pulled out the win against the Tigers three batters into the game as graduate student Bailey Hemphill sent a double down the left field line to score senior K.B. Sides and graduate student Alexis Mack for an early 2-0 advantage.

Hemphill added insurance runs for Alabama starter sophomore Lexi Kilfoyl (8-0; .14 ERA) as she bashed a home run in each of the fifth and seventh innings. The Louisiana native’s two home runs allowed her to tie freshman Bailey Dowling for the team-lead with four, who also had a home run in the game. Hemphill finished the night with five RBIs, which put her in rare territory as she is now only one of three players in Alabama program history to have 200 career RBIs, 203.

In a press conference after Alabama’s loss to South Alabama, Murphy stated that it makes it hard to score and create a productive offense when the leadoff batter does not reach base. However, the offense did not face that trouble as four of its seven leadoff batters reached base.

The Alabama offense tallied 11 hits from six different batters and carried a .344 batting average on the night. Hemphill was not the only one to have a multi-hit performance as Mack, Dowling and graduate student Elissa Brown each had a pair of hits. Dowling’s second inning home run marked her team-leading 20th RBI of the season.

Kilfoyl pitched her fifth shutout of the season, did not allow a free pass and collected 10 strikeouts, which matches her season-high that came against Louisville on Feb. 14. Not one time did the sophomore face a three-ball count.

The top third of Auburn’s lineup put up four of its eight hits on the night and created two bases-loaded situations with less than two outs in both the first and third innings, but Kilfoyl was able to hone in and retire the side. Auburn went 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position, but Auburn head coach Mickey Dean did not wave a runner home on either of the two hits. Despite the early offensive success for Auburn, Kilfoyl only allowed two Tigers to reach base after the third inning.

The Alabama defense fielded its ninth errorless game of the season and first since last Friday, Mar. 5, against Kent State. The biggest defensive play looked to come from behind the plate as Hemphill threw out a runner to end the fourth inning, which may make the Tigers reconsider stealing in the next two games. Coming into the weekend series both Alabama and Auburn were ranked top-three in the conference in steals, but neither side was able to successfully steal a base.

Junior Montana Fouts (7-1; 1.18 ERA) is the projected starter for Alabama while freshman Shelby Lowe (6-0; .50 ERA) will likely get the nod for Auburn. Lowe can be a tough opponent for the Alabama offense as she creates a lefty-lefty matchup. Auburn will face a completely different look in Fouts as she throws a heavy dose of rise balls, which it did not see from Kilfoyl.

First pitch of game two is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT and can be watched on the SEC Network plus.