Alabama lights up new scoreboard

TUSCALOOSA | The fourth-ranked University of Alabama softball team broke in it’s big, shiny new scoreboard Friday by lighting it up.

The Crimson Tide defeated South Alabama 8-1 at the Alabama Softball Complex to open the 2008 season with a victory in the Bama Bash tournament, pounding out three doubles and a home run among its nine hits.

The final results could have been more one-sided had Alabama not stranded 10 runners. The Tide left runners in scoring position in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings to miss out on a mercy-rule victory.

Alabama took the early lead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning. Center fielder Brittany Rogers beat out an infield hit, stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch, but was picked off after Jordan Praytor drew a walk. Praytor took second on the throw-out and advanced to third on Dani Woods’ single. Praytor scored on another wild pitch to make it 1-0. First baseman Charlotte Morgan ripped a double to center to drive in Woods for a 2-0 Tide lead.

Second baseman Lauren Parker only needed one pitch to increase the lead to 3-0, blasting a solo home run over the wall in right field in the second inning.

The Tide added three more runs in the third, with Morgan hitting another RBI double to highlight the outburst.

Senior pitcher Chrissy Owens ran into control problems in the top of the fifth, walking the first two batters. Autumn Hudson singled in Evelyne Pare to cut Alabama’s lead to 6-1, and the Jaguars loaded the bases with no outs on an intentional walk. Owens pitched her way out of trouble by coaxing a weak pop-up, striking out a batter and getting another pop fly to shallow right field to avoid further damage.

Praytor hit a bases-loaded single in the bottom of the fifth to drive in two more runs.

Morgan finished 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs and two doubles. Praytor drove in two runs on two hits and scored twice. Parker went 2-for-3.

Owens (1-0) struck out nine batters, limiting South Alabama to four hits for the win.

Amanda Leggett, one of three South Alabama pitchers who saw action, gave up six earned runs on five hits with four walks in 22⁄3 innings to take the loss.

Jax State 7,

South Alabama 5

Mary Beth Ledbetter hit a two-run walk-off homer run off the top of the wall in left field to lift Jacksonville State to an extra-inning victory. Ledbetter’s shot came with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning. Allie Barker hit a solo home run earlier in the inning to tie the game after the Jaguars took a 5-4 lead in the top of the eighth.

Winning pitcher Kelly McGregory (1-0) pitched one inning of three-hit relief, giving up one run. Beth Pilgrim (0-1) went the distance to take the loss for South Alabama, allowing six earned runs on nine hits.

Purdue 5,

Jax State 4

Candace Curtis hit a bases-loaded sacrifice fly to left field to drive in Ashley Barr in the bottom of the seventh inning Friday for the game-winning run.

Purdue (1-0) overcame a grand slam by Jacksonville State’s Allie Barker in the fifth inning to win the first game in the tournament.

Winning pitcher Dana Alcocer (1-0) pitched one inning of hitless relief for the win. Melissa Dowling (0-1) gave up five runs on nine hits in six innings to take the loss for Jacksonville State.

Katie Mitchell and Curtis had two hits apiece for Purdue, with each driving in a run.

Alabama 8,

Purdue 0

Alabama utilized dominating pitching and timely hitting to earn an easy decision over Purdue in five innings in the final game of the night. The Tide scored one in the first, two in the second, one in the third and four with two outs in the fourth inning, easily enough for true freshman pitcher Kelsi Dunne.

Dunne got her first career start, win and shutout. She struck out 11 batters and allowed only two hits in five innings. The Port Orange, Fla., native struck out the side twice and fanned nine of the first 11 batters she faced. It was Alabama’s first shutout since last April 29, when the Tide blanked Kentucky 8-0 in five innings.

Offensively, Alabama was led by two players who recorded perfect games at the plate. Dani Woods and Brittany Rogers each went 3-for-3. Rogers stole three bases, scored three runs and drove in one of her own, while Woods slammed a pair of doubles among her three hits and drove in a team-high three RBI in the victory.

Charlotte Morgan added two more doubles, finishing with four on the day, while Lauren Parker slammed her second home run, this one over the center-field wall, in the fourth inning of the UA win. Kellie Eubanks also drove in a run for Alabama.

Dana Alcocer got the loss for Purdue, which fell to 1-1 on the season.

The Tide faces Jacksonville State at 3 p.m. today and will have a rematch with the Boilermakers at 5 p.m.

Reach Tommy Deas at tommy.deas@tuscaloosanews.com or at 205-722-0224.

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