Crimson Tide's perfect season shatters in a wild slugfest. Arkansas roared back, forcing a winner-take-all showdown Sunday.
After opening the season with an impressive undefeated run, Alabama softball finally tasted defeat Saturday afternoon at Rhoads Stadium. The Crimson Tide dropped a 14-9 decision to Arkansas, evening the weekend series and setting up a decisive rubber match on Sunday in Tuscaloosa.
Alabama entered the game at 25-0, but an uncharacteristically shaky start put the Tide behind early. Arkansas capitalized on a pair of Alabama errors in the first inning, jumping out to a quick 2-0 lead before the Crimson Tide had a chance to settle in.
Despite the early deficit, Alabama responded in the second inning. A pair of RBI singles tied the game at two and briefly swung momentum back toward the home dugout. However, Arkansas answered immediately. Razorback Dakota Kennedy delivered a clutch two-run double in the third inning to regain the lead, and another two-run single in the fourth stretched Arkansas’ advantage to 6-2.
Just when it seemed the Razorbacks had seized control, Alabama’s offense erupted. The Tide sent nine batters to the plate in the fourth inning and scored five runs to take a 7-6 lead. The highlight of the inning came when Alexis Pupillo ripped an RBI single into deep center field, driving in the go-ahead run and bringing the Rhoads Stadium crowd to life.
But Arkansas refused to go away quietly. The Razorbacks answered with a leadoff home run in the fifth inning to tie the game and then another leadoff homer in the sixth to reclaim the lead at 8-7.
The game ultimately turned in the seventh inning when Arkansas exploded for six runs, giving the visitors a cushion that proved just enough to hold off a late Alabama rally. The Crimson Tide pushed two runs across in the bottom half of the inning, but a final groundout sealed the 14-9 victory for Arkansas.
After the game, Alabama head coach Patrick Murphy acknowledged the rocky start but praised his team’s fight.
“It was an ugly and uncharacteristic start,” Murphy said. “Too many runs were given up, but they went up two and we came back and tied it. They went up four and we battled back to take the lead. We kept fighting, we just couldn’t finish it.”
Murphy also noted that Sunday’s matchup will come down to adjustments.
“I always say championship Sunday is about who can adjust the quickest and take the series,” Murphy said. “That’s exactly what tomorrow will be about.”
Saturday also served as a special day for senior Marlie Giles, who was honored before the game.
“Marlie is highly competitive and highly motivated,” Murphy said. “She’s a great student with a great family and has represented her hometown of Clanton very well. We’re very glad she wears crimson.”
The series finale between Alabama and Arkansas is set for a 1:30 p.m. CT first pitch Sunday at Rhoads Stadium, with the series winner on the line.