BOL Round Table

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The No. 2 ranked Alabama softball team swept No. 1 Georgia with a 9-5 win, Sunday afternoon at Rhoads Stadium. With the victory the Crimson Tide improves to 29-1 overall and remains perfect in Southeastern Conference play at 5-0.

“I have to give all the credit to the fans,” Alabama head coach Patrick Murphy said. “The support is unlike any other place in the country. There has been no break during this stretch. It has been a grind but we just have to keep playing well and have fun with it.”

Senior Kelsi Dunne improves to 13-1 on the season. She allowed five runs – four earned on five hits and struck out four in 4 1/3 innings. Freshman Jackie Traina earned her first career save as she tossed 2 2/3 innings of no-hit relief, striking out four.

The rookie also got the job done at the plate as she tallied two hits, including a grand slam to lead the Alabama offensive output.

Sophomore Kayla Braud reached base in her first at-bat with a double down the left field line to extend her streak to a school record 49 games. The streak of 49 games reaching base breaks the old mark set by Kelly Kretschman in 1998.

After giving up a single run to open the contest Alabama answered right back when Traina cleared the bases for her first career grand slam to give the Tide a 4-1 lead. The home run was the 13th on the season for the rookie and she now moves her RBI total to 39.

Georgia evened the score after putting up a run in the second and two more in the third but then in the fourth junior Jazlyn Lunceford put the Tide back on top with a high blast over the wall in right-center. The home run was her fourth on the season and second in league play.

Alabama added two more in the inning when Braud scored from second on a Jennifer Fenton RBI single up the middle. Fenton later would score and give the Tide a 7-4 advantage when she scored on a throwing error by the first baseman.

Courtney Conley continued to hurt the Bulldogs as she extended the Alabama lead to 8-5. The sophomore singled up the middle to bring home pinch-runner Keima Davis from second. Conley then later scored when Braud grounded out with the bases loaded to make it 9-5.

Alabama will continue league play as it will hit the road to play Tennessee in a midweek doubleheader. The two teams will meet on Tuesday, March 22 in Knoxville with first pitch of game one slated for 3 p.m. CDT.