Alabama Softball Suffers First Loss With 2-1 Decision vs. Baylor

Despite a monumental effort, Alabama Softball fell to Baylor 2-1 in the Black and Gold tournament in Hattiesburg, MS. Alabama fans have a lot to look forward to as the team has its home opener next weekend.

Alabama softball dropped its first game of the season, falling to Baylor 2-1. Alabama’s Alexis Osorio (2-1) recorded the loss with six innings of work and five strikeouts. Baylor’s Gia Rodini (3-0) got the complete-game victory.

It would be natural to think a loss to a top 10 team in Baylor would be disappointing. It would have been a great opportunity to get an early-season huge win. However, there are positives to take away and Alabama fans need to stay positive moving forward.

Why Bama Will Bounce Back

Could Alabama free-fall from here and continue to disappoint throughout the season? Sure. Last season saw that, especially in conference play. However, It’s not likely, if not nearly impossible, for this team to do that.

A loss is not the desired result, but a loss without a fight is even worse. Alabama fought hard, especially in their last outs in the seventh. Claire Jenkins got a clutch one-out single to put her and Rachel Bobo in scoring position. If it wasn’t for a called swinging strikeout and a pop-up, we might be talking about a different game. Baylor had the upper hand and ultimately came away with the W in the record.

One of the biggest things we have seen from this team is a laser focus on getting the precise fundamentals right. It’s one thing head coach Patrick Murphy has been driving at for the 2018 campaign. It’s also one of the reasons Alabama fell short of expectations last year. So far, Alabama has shown signs of progressing well toward that goal. The offense has monumentally improved and the pitching has been noticeably better, especially for both of the newcomers.

Usually, there is a point for improved performance following a loss. In this young season, the team on track to be better than its 2017 predecessors. The best advice for Alabama is just to play their game of softball. There is no greater time to do that than by kicking off the home schedule of the season.

Up Next

Alabama has their Easton Bama Bash this weekend as they open their home schedule in Rhoades Stadium. Georgia State, Florida State and Northern Iowa are slated to attend. It all kicks off Friday evening at 4pm against GSU.

Next: Tide lets Cats rebound big in Lexington

The Easton Bash string of games, followed by a mid-week contest with UAB will be a tuneup for a big trip west. The first weekend in March, Alabama softball travels to Seattle to take on Washington, Portland State and Northwestern.