Patrick Murphy took a calculated gamble to open the Tuscaloosa Regional of the NCAA Softball Tournament.
With potential landmines remaining in their path with Belmont and Southeastern Louisiana, both of whom feature elite starting pitchers, Murphy elected to roll with his No. 3 pitcher, freshman Kaitlyn Pallozzi, in the first game of the Regional against USC Upstate.
Leaving Jocelyn Briski and Vic Moten in the dugout was a risky move, but it paid off as Alabama rolled to an 8-0 win over the Spartans to advance to the winner's bracket of the Tuscaloosa Regional, where they'll face the winner of Belmont and Southeastern Louisiana on Saturday afternoon at the Rhoades House.
A big 2nd inning lifts Alabama softball to a run-rule win over USC Upstate
Alabama went three-up and three-down to open the afternoon, but things got cooking in the 2nd.
Marlie Giles got it started with a solo homer, and then some incredible base-running by Audrey Vandagriff, and some clutch two-out hitting helped Alabama bust the game open.
Vandagriff scored on a chopper from Kristen White to make it 2-0. Brooke Wells followed that up with a two-RBI single of her own to push the lead to 4-0. Alexis Pupillo capped the inning with a two-run double to fully break the game open and give Alabama a 6-0 edge.
Vandagriff added a homer in the 3rd, and then Pupilo hit an RBI single in the 4th that put the Crimson Tide up 8-0 and in run-rule territory. Pallozzi shut the door in the 5th to preserve the shutout and an easy, 8-0 win for Alabama that finished in under an hour and a half.
It was a perfect start to the tournament for the No. 1 overall seed Crimson Tide. It will allow Briski and Moten to be fresh for the remainder of the weekend. Briski will be in line to start on Saturday against the Belmont/Southeastern Louisiana winner, and Moten will be rested and ready to come out of the bullpen if needed.
With tough games ahead regardless of the opponent, getting a quick, no-nonsense victory to open the Regional was pivotal for Murphy and his club.
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