TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama softball opened conference play Friday at Rhoads Stadium with a doubleheader vs. Mississippi State, falling in the opener, 9-1, before bouncing back with a 7-4 win in game two to set up a deciding game three on Sunday.

Alabama (21-8, 1-1 SEC) trailed Mississippi State (23-5, 4-1 SEC) early in game one as the Bulldogs jumped ahead to a 3-0 lead in the second. The Crimson Tide stranded two on base in the bottom of the second and left the bases loaded in the third, unable to break into the run column. Mississippi State added to its lead with a pair of solo home runs in the top of the fifth before Alabama plated a run in the bottom half off a fielding error, as it was now a 5-1 game heading to the sixth. The Bulldogs scored four more runs in the top of sixth, putting the game within run-rule territory. The Tide got two on base in the home half of the inning but couldn’t scratch a run across as the game ended in six innings at 9-1.

In game two, Mississippi State scored first again with one in the top of the first, but Alabama responded with three in the bottom half, two of which came off a Brooke Ellestad triple, to pull ahead 3-1. The Bulldogs loaded the bases with one out in the top of the third, but a 6-4-3 double play got the Tide out of the jam with its two-run lead intact. With one on and two out in the top of the fourth, a fielding error extended the inning and Mississippi State took advantage, as a two-run double and RBI single plated three unearned runs and gave the Bulldogs a 4-3 lead. With two out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth, back-to-back walks swung the lead back in Alabama’s favor, 5-4. Abby Duchscherer added some key insurance runs with a two-run home run in the sixth inning and Alea Johnson came in and pitched a third shutout relief inning in the top of the seventh to earn her second save of the year and secure the 7-4 win.

From Head Coach Patrick Murphy

“It was a tale of two games. We’re still giving away too many freebies. Too many walks, too many errors – we have to stop that. The walks are a killer, but we don’t quit. We had some big hits, Brooke [Ellestad] got a big hit, Abby [Duchscherer] got a big hit to get us some insurance runs. I think overall, our at-bats were better in game two.”

Highlights

• Alabama is now 70-12 all-time vs. Mississippi State, including a 35-4 mark in Tuscaloosa
• Patrick Murphy now has 1,298 wins as the Crimson Tide’s head coach, just two away from the 1,300 mark
• Alabama turned three double plays in game two, tied for the second-highest single game total in UA history
• The Tide had 12 hits in game two, its 13th game this season with double-digit hits
• Larissa Preuitt had two hits in each game, giving her eight multi-hit games this season
• Audrey Vandagriff extended her reached-base streak to 17 games
• Brooke Ellestad tallied her team-leading eighth multi-RBI game of the season in game two, driving in two runs on a first-inning triple

Game One Scoring Summary: Missisppi State 9, Alabama 1 (6 Inn.)

• T1 | Jessie Blaine hit an RBI infield single (0-1, 1 Out)
• T2 | Sierra Sacco hit an RBI double into the left field gap (0-2, 2 Out)
• T2 | Nadia Barbary dropped an RBI single into shallow center (0-3, 2 Out)
• T5 | Blaine led off the inning with a solo home run (0-4, 0 Out)
• T5 | Morgan Bernardini hit a solo home run to center field (0-5, 2 Out)
• B5 | An error on a forceout attempt allowed Larissa Preuitt to score (1-5, 1 Out)
• T6 | Blaine hit an RBI single up the middle (1-6, 1 Out)
• T6 | Kylee Edwards hit a three-run home run (1-9, 1 Out)

Game Two Scoring Summary: Alabama 7, Mississippi State 4

• T1 | The Bulldogs got on the board first with an RBI single from Nadia Barbary (0-1, 1 Out)
• B1 | Larissa Preuitt scored on a sac fly RBI (1-1, 1 Out)
• B1 | Brooke Ellestad roped a triple just past a diving outfielder, driving in two (3-1, 2 Out)
• T4 | Mississippi State hit a two-run double following a two-out error (3-3, 2 Out)
• T4 | Sierra Sacco hit an RBI single up the middle (3-4, 2 Out)
• B4 | Alexis Pupillo tied the game with a bases-loaded walk (4-4, 2 Out)
• B4 | Abby Duchscherer drew a bases-loaded walk to take the lead (5-4, 2 Out)
• B6 | Duchscherer hit a two-run home run to left (7-4, 2 Out)

Up Next: vs. #19/19 Mississippi State (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)

• Sunday, March 16 – 1:30 p.m. CT