BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Alabama softball led Texas A&M 4-1 after five innings Friday night in College Station, but the Aggies rallied to score four unanswered and held off a Crimson Tide rally in the top of the seventh as the home team took the series opener, 5-4.

Alabama (21-11, 1-3 SEC) took the first lead with a sac fly RBI in the top of the third before Texas A&M (25-4, 5-2 SEC) answered with a run in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game, though the Crimson Tide prevented further damage by stranding the bases loaded to end the frame. Alabama answered right back in the top of the fifth with an RBI double from Salen Hawkins and a two-run home run from Audrey Vandagriff to pull ahead, 4-1. Texas A&M got a run back in the next half-inning with an RBI groundout and then broke through in the bottom of the sixth with a pair of home runs to push them in front, 5-4. Suddenly down to its final three outs, the Tide’s first two batters reached safely in the seventh but the Aggies erased the threat, retiring the next three to strand the tying and go-ahead runners on base and take home the one-run win.

Highlights

• Audrey Vandagriff was 3-for-3 at the top of the order, her fourth three-hit game of the season, including her second home run
• Vandagriff also had two stolen bases, pushing her NCAA-leading total to 39
• Salen Hawkins was 2-for-3 with two doubles, her second career game with two doubles (Feb. 17, 2024 vs. Utah)
• The first inning double play was Alabama’s 19th turned this season, which leads the SEC

Scoring Summary

• T3 | Salen Hawkins scored on a sac fly RBI (1-0, 1 Out)
• B4 | Mac Barbara drove in a run on an RBI single to center (1-1, 2 Out)
• T5 | Hawkins drove in Marlie Giles with an RBI double (2-1, 0 Out)
• T5 | Audrey Vandagriff blasted a two-run home run to center field (4-1, 0 Out)
• B5 | The Aggies got a run back on an RBI groundout (4-2, 1 Out)
• B6 | Mya Perez led off the inning with a solo home run (4-3, 0 Out)
• B6 | Mac Barbara hit a two-run home run to give the Aggies the lead (4-5, 0 Out)

Up Next: AT #5/6 Texas A&M (Bryan-College Station, Texas)

• Saturday, March 22 – 4 p.m. CT
• Sunday, March 23 – 1 p.m. CT