Alabama Softball and the Florida Gators will play for the Southeastern Conference Tournament Championship Saturday night in College Station, TX.
Alabama Softball, the current SEC Regular Season Champion will take on the 2018 Regular Season and Tournament Champion, Florida Gators Saturday in the SEC Tournament final game. The Alabama softball program has not won the SEC Tournament since 2012, also the one and only time the Crimson Tide won a National Championship.
Since Alabama softball won the regular season and tournament double in 2012, the Gators have been the class of SEC softball. From 2013-2018, the Florida Gators won five SEC regular season championships and two tournament championships. The Gators also won the 2014 and 2015 National Championships.
Since the SEC Softball Tournament Championship began in 1997, Alabama has won it five times to four times for Florida. A win Saturday night would elevate the Crimson Tide out of a tie with LSU and into being the all-time leader in SEC Tournament Championship wins.
While the Gators have held an upper hand for six seasons, the 2019 season has been different. The Crimson Tide swept the Gators in Gainesville this season by a combined, three-game score of 12-2.
The 52-6 Alabama Crimson Tide and the 43-15 Florida Gators will play at 7:00 PM CDT Saturday evening. The Gators advanced to the final by beating the Auburn Tigers 3-0 in semifinal action.
Alabama softball had the tougher semifinal opponent in the Kentucky Wildcats. The Cats took two of three April games from the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa. The Wildcats are led by the SEC Player of the Year, Abbey Cheek. Cheek is a formidable hitter and many Tide fans went into the game hoping Patrick Murphy would choose to walk her at every at-bat.
In Cheek’s three plate opportunities, she earned one walk. The other two times, Cheek struck out and grounded into a fielder’s choice. The Crimson Tide exploded for six, second inning runs to provide a cushion in the 6-3 victory. The big hit was from K. B. Sides who nailed a three-run double.
Though not as sharp as it has been all season, the Crimson Tide pitching was solid against the Wildcats. Starter, and SEC Pitcher of the Year, Sarah Cornell did not have her top stuff but she pitched well. She yielded the three runs off of seven hits and had two strikeouts. Closer Krystal Goodman pitched 1.33 innings and gave up two walks but surrendered no hits as the Wildcats tried to mount a comeback.
Florida pitcher Kelly Barnhill went into the 2019 season with the reputation as college softball’s best. Alabama Crimson Tide pitchers Sarah Cornell and Montana Fouts have had better seasons than Barnhill. In addition, Krystal Goodman is in her best form of the season.
The game can be seen on ESPN2. The Crimson Tide pitching trio should be enough to secure another championship.