Alabama softball pummels Middle Tennessee State to advance to Tuscaloosa Regional final
Alabama softball pummeled Middle Tennessee State for a 12-5 victory in the NCAA Tournament Tuscaloosa Regional at Rhoads Stadium on Saturday.
The 12 runs are the most scored by Alabama since a March 22 win over UAB. Alabama advanced to the regional final Sunday at 1 p.m. CT to await the winner of Game 5. Middle Tennessee State (40-19) will await face either Central Arkansas or Long Island in an elimination game later Saturday.
The Crimson Tide (42-18) went with pitcher Alex Salter, who struggled early. Salter allowed solo home runs in the first two innings and was replaced by Jaala Torrence, who went the rest of the way. She allowed three more runs in the third but was clean the rest of the way.
"I mean (Salter) didn't have her best day but that's why you need a staff at this time of year cause you just never know. Whether the score is 1-0 or 13-12 as long as we're on the winning side, I'll take it," Alabama coach Patrick Murphy said. "...to me (Torrence) looks like she's fresh. It's not like she's not laboring cause she threw yesterday...kudos to her for being in great shape this time of year."
The Blue Raiders scored first with a home run in the opening inning, but Alabama roared back with four runs in the third inning to take the lead. MTSU regained the lead, but Alabama responded with eight runs in the fourth and didn't look back. Alabama scored 12 runs on seven hits and seven walks.
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Kali Heivilin finding a groove
On Friday, Heivilin hit a two-run home run to extend the lead. On Saturday, she was the one to start a rally. When she came up in the third inning, Alabama had gone seven-up, seven-down but with a single she sparked a four-run inning for the Tide. When she came up in fourth, her two-run home run gave Alabama the lead for the second time.
Monster inning fueled by walks?
Alabama's offense topped its third-inning performance in the fourth inning thanks to seven walks. At one stretch, Alabama drew five straight walks and then a passed ball with two outs, scoring four runs. Alabama had two freshman pinch hit and both found their way on via walks.
In the end, it was eight runs on two hits and seven walks with 13 plate appearances in the fourth inning.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama softball pummels Middle Tennessee State in NCAA Tournament
