Seventh-Inning Rally Falls Short for Alabama Softball in 5-3 Loss to Arkansas

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Patrick Murphy got exactly what he wanted in the seventh inning of Alabama's Saturday night game against Arkansas. 

He felt that if his team got the first three runners on, then it would win the game. Alabama did get the first three runners on trailing Arkansas by three runs, and Emma Broadfoot delivered an RBI-single as the fourth batter of the inning, but the bases were left loaded with three straight strikeouts. 

"Having bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh, you've got to take advantage of it," Murphy said after the game. "It's like running the Boston Marathon and stopping at 26 miles instead of going the last two tenths. It just drives me nuts.... It's almost like you get all the way to a finish line and then you take a step back and don't finish it, and it's very frustrating."

Ashley Prange led off the seventh with a single, her third hit of the day that helped snap out of a five-game hitless streak. Ally Shipman and Bailey Dowling followed with free passes before the RBI-hit from Broadfoot. But the inning died after strikeouts from Jenna Johnson, Kali Heivilin and Jordan Stephens. 

However, for Murphy, it was really the bottom of the first inning that changed the game. The Crimson Tide also had the bases loaded in its first trip to the plate after Kenleigh Cahalan and Prange walked to start the game. A sac fly from Shipman moved the runners over, and Arkansas' freshman pitcher Robyn Herro walked Dowling to load the bases. 

Alabama couldn't do anything with all the free passes though as a strikeout and flyout ended the frame and stranded the bases loaded. Arkansas scored three runs in the next half inning to jump out to a 3-0 game. 

"The first inning is what killed us," Murphy said. "Bases loaded, one out, and she's on the ropes and walking people, and we don't come through with anything... It's a totally different game if we score in the bottom of the first."

It wasn't a clean game in the field for Alabama either. Two dropped fly balls in the fifth inning proved costly. At that point, it was a 3-2 Arkansas game. The Razorbacks had a runner on third with one out. A fly ball to centerfield wasn't communicated properly between Johnson in left and Stephens in center. The two collided, and the ball dropped. 

The runner at third would have likely scored on the sacrifice fly anyway because the ball was deep enough, but the error allowed the batter to reach second. She scored two batters later on another dropped fly ball by Stephens in shallow center field to push the Arkansas lead to 5-2. 

A big question for the Crimson Tide heading into SEC play is what would the starting pitching be like in game two with Montana Fouts not throwing? Outside of the walks, Murphy was really pleased with his pitchers Saturday night. Alex Salter started the game, but Lauren Esman and Jaala Torrence both game in from the bullpen and all three pitchers threw 2.1 innings. 

"I saw fight from our pitchers," Prange said. "I thought the three of them combined, and it was a great team effort from the three of them to get people out and get outs when we needed them.  And as hitters, we want to have our pitchers' backs."

Alabama's biggest offensive inning came in the third with a leadoff double from Prange followed by back-to-back singles from Shipman and Dowling. But the error was plagued by base running miscues. Dowling was thrown out at second on her RBI-single, and the inning ended with Broadfoot getting thrown out at the plate on an RBI-hit from Heivilin. 

Alabama (22-7, 1-1 SEC) and Arkansas (21-8, 2-3 SEC) will meet for the series finale Monday night at 6 p.m. on SEC Network after splitting the first two games. Murphy wants to see his hitters step up at the plate. 

"Quit talking about it and show it," he said. "I want the people who want to be up to bat  with the runners in scoring position. If you're going to hit, hit when it counts– with the bases loaded, with second and third, with a runner on second, with a runner in scoring position two outs, that's when they need to hit the ball. And we just haven't had enough of it. So that's what I'm looking for tomorrow."

See also:

Full-Court Press: Takeaways from Alabama Basketball in Second Round of NCAA Tournament

'Angry Chuck' Continuing to Build on Postseason Success

Everything Nate Oats, Alabama Basketball Said After Win over Maryland