On the road in a hostile environment, Alabama softball picked up a pivotal victory.
No. 15 Alabama defeated No. 18 Florida State 4-1 on Wednesday night, picking up its second consecutive ranked win.
The momentum swung early in favor of Alabama, as Abby Duchscherer’s massive home run to straightaway center field gave the Crimson Tide a 1-0 advantage in the top of the first inning, leaving the Seminoles scrambling to catch up. Moments later, Bailey Dowling’s single up the middle drove in Marlie Giles, putting the Crimson Tide ahead 2-0.
However, Florida State fought back, as a wild pitch from Kayla Beaver put Florida State on the board in the bottom of the fourth inning, making the score 2-1 in favor of the Crimson Tide. Beaver was injured on the play with her non-pitching hand trying to tag out the runner. She exited the game and did not return, but she did rejoin the team in the dugout to participate in cheering.
Despite the Seminoles’ efforts to contain Alabama’s offense, the Crimson Tide continued to press its advantage. Kali Heivilin’s homer to right-center in the sixth inning further widened the gap to 4-1, with Jenna Johnson also contributing with a key walk to set up scoring opportunities.
Yet, Alabama’s pitching, led by Alea Johnson coming in relief, stole the show — holding firm to keep the Seminoles at bay to just three hits.
Johnson, a sophomore transfer from LSU, tossed 3.1 innings of two-hit, two-strikeout ball in a near perfect relief effort after Beaver’s exit in the bottom of the fourth.
Despite Florida State’s late attempts to rally, including Ashytn Danley’s single to left-center in the bottom of the seventh, they couldn’t overcome Alabama’s commanding lead. With Devyn Flaherty grounding out to third to end the game, the Crimson Tide secured a massive victory with potential Women’s College World Series implications.
“I thought tonight was a win-win for college softball,” Alabama head coach Patrick Murphy said in a press release. “Both teams played really well in front of a packed house on national television. It was a great atmosphere. I thought [Kayla] Beaver gave us a great start and then Alea [Johnson] came in and pitched in a game for the first time in two weeks and did awesome. That shows the depth of our pitching staff. All our runs tonight came with two outs, so we passed the baton down and got the key hits when we needed them.”
After the win, Alabama will now turn its attention towards yet another road matchup, as the Crimson Tide travels to Athens to take on No. 5 Georgia on Friday at 5:00 p.m. CT.
