Across the Diamond: Can Alabama Work Their Way Through the Losers Bracket?

Alabama softball competed toe-to-toe against the top-seeded Oklahoma Sooners but fell 3-2 in a hard fought contest Thursday night in Oklahoma City.

To close out the week, former Florida head softball coach and Alabama pitching coach Karen Johns analyzed the road ahead for the Crimson Tide on The Gary Harris Show.

To begin the conversation, Johns provided three observations from the game including how hyped up Montana Fouts was to begin the game, the lack of timely hitting for Alabama and the lack of offensive production from KB Sides, Kaylee Tow and Reagan Dykes

Heading into the losers bracket game against Florida, she sees a big strategical advantage for the Crimson Tide in the circle.

"I think that Alabama has learned a lot about which pitchers he's going to use in which situations, and I think he learned about what is most effective for Montana (Fouts) because Florida, in all of those game, really didn't do a whole lot on offense. A lot of that offense that they generated in the SEC Tournament was free passes by Alabama." Johns said.

On the flip side, Johns feels optimistic about Alabama's offense against a pitcher like Florida's Kelly Barnhill.

"I think Alabama has had really good quality at bats against Barnhill and was in a really good situation to score a lot runs early in that game if you recall." Johns said.

In addition to having a chance to beat Florida, the college softball analyst thinks the Crimson Tide can work their way through the losers bracket due to their pitching depth.

"I think if anybody's built to work through this losers bracket of all the teams in this tournament, it is probably Alabama because they do pitch by committee. They're all used to pitching in these games now." Johns said.

The Crimson Tide resumes their journey in the Women's College World Series against fifth-seeded Florida Saturday afternoon at 1:30 PM.

Catch The Gary Harris Show every weekday from 9-11 AM on Tide 102.9/100.9 and the Tide 102.9 app.