Bama Softball Clinches Texas A&M Series with 8-6 Win

Alabama clinched the series in game two against Texas A&M. Heavy offensive innings in the second and fourth helped secure the Crimson Tide's 8-6 win over the Aggies.

“When you out score, out hit you’re not going to lose,” said head coach Patrick Murphy. “The more runs we can put up the better we are going to be.”

After seeing three pitches in the first, leadoff hitter Makinzy Herzog singled to the left side and got on base for Texas A&M. Following Herzog’s at bat, starting pitcher Montana Fouts got her first strikeout of the night and forced last night's home run hitter, Haley Lee, to a groundout. Shaylee Ackerman got ahead of Fouts in the count and sent one over the wall to put the Aggies on the board first.

Alexis Mack was the leadoff batter again for the Crimson Tide in game two and proved to be a key player again for Alabama. She had two RBIs, three runs and went three-for-three on the night tying her season high.

The Crimson Tide answered back in the bottom of the inning, courtesy of Bailey Hemphill’s 31st RBI of the season, to cut the deficit to one sending Mack across the plate.

“They come up, they throw the first punch and then we come back,” said Murphy. “One was good, obviously it’d been great to tie it but the one run I think said a lot about our kids.”

With her RBI Hemphill moved one closer to tying Kaila Hunt’s (2011-14) career record for second place.

It didn’t take long to tie Hunt’s record. In the next inning, Hemphill saw four pitches before hitting the fifth through the left side to send Mack across the plate again.

“I know if I get on base… she’s gonna get it done,” said Mack. “I have so much trust, there’s no one else I’d rather have a bat in their hands and that’s what makes her so great. She’s going to get it done.”

After two innings Alabama led 4-2.

Texas A&M’s starting pitcher Grace Uribe was able to keep the Crimson Tide’s bats quiet for just one inning where she went three-up-three-down.

Kat Grill drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the fourth. Two singles loaded the bases for KB Sides. Sides singled and sent Grill and Elissa Brown home to extend Alabama’s lead by four.

Bailey Hemphill drew a five-pitch walk in similar fashion to her two five-pitch walks last night.

Hemphill’s walk loaded the bases for Kilfoyl who took advantage of being down two outs in the inning by hitting a two-run RBI single on the third pitch.

Alabama held an 8-2 lead headed to the sixth.

Ackerman added another run to the Aggies total, this time with a solo home run, in the top of the sixth to cut Texas A&M’s deficit to five.

Fouts wasn’t shaken by Ackerman’s solo home run and proceeded to throw three consecutive strikeouts to end the inning.