Alabama Softball is on its way to Oklahoma City for a twelfth trip to the Women’s College World Series in program history.
Alabama Softball Coach Patrick Murphy was more than happy with an ugly win over the University of Texas. After a huge comeback by the Longhorns tied the series Friday night, any kind of win Saturday was sweet.
Alabama Softball prevailed 8-5 over Texas on Saturday but it was not easy. Montana Fouts was the winning pitcher on Saturday, going the distance. She did not have her best outing of the season, perhaps still a bit stunned by the Friday night lost she incurred in relief of Krystal Goodman. Fouts who has had a great freshman season gave up two home runs in the Friday loss.
On Saturday, Fouts gave up another homer and walked five Texas batters. The Alabama Crimson Tide hitters provided all the firepower needed to outscore Texas. Ten Crimson Tide hits were split between Maddie Morgan (3-3), K.B. Sides (2-3), Bailey Hemphill (2-4) and Skylar Wallace (2-3).
Sides and Hemphill both homered for the Crimson Tide. Sides led the Tide with four runs batted in. Maddie Morgan drove in three runs.
Alabama softball coach Patrick Murphy was both happy and honest.
The Crimson Tide was gritty. But gritty will not likely be enough in Oklahoma City. The Crimson Tide will face Oklahoma, after their win over Northwestern, in Oklahoma City on Thursday. Alabama Softball went into the Super Regional as the No. 8 seed after having been ranked inside the top 6 all season and winning the SEC regular season championship.
Four seeded teams were in each Super Regional, WCWS bracket but one. James Madison knocked out Michigan to become the only unseeded team in the final 16 teams. The other three teams in the Tide’s bracket were Texas (No. 9), Oklahoma (No. 1) and Northwestern (No. 16). Playing the Sooners in Oklahoma might be a bit unfair, but at least the game is not in Norman, OK.
It will take very solid pitching and explosive hitting to get past Oklahoma. The Sooners have five hitters in the Top 10 of the Big 12, compared to just one for Texas.
There are dual brackets in the WCWS and the format is double elimination. Oklahoma State and either Florida or Tennessee are the other teams in the Tide’s side of the bracket.
The Sooners are beatable. The program history is strong with four national championships in 2000, 2013, 2016 and 2017. The Sooners have had a potent offense but in the regionals, Wisconsin gave the Sooners its first loss in 41 games. The Sooners batted only .192 against the Badgers.
The Oklahoma Sooners are 54-3 this season. Alabama Softball has a record of 57-8.