MOBILE, Ala. — No. 3 Alabama scored two runs in the seventh inning to beat No. 23 South Alabama 2-1 Thursday night at Jaguar Field, spoiling the South Alabama softball season opener. The South Alabama softball team led 1-0 entering the final inning before a Jaguars fielding error helped the Crimson Tide rally.
Alabama improved to 11-0 all-time against South Alabama.
Rathburn Puts Jaguars Ahead
South Alabama scored in the bottom of the third. Kaleigh Todd drew a one-out walk and stole second base, and sophomore Chloe Rathburn followed with a two-out RBI single up the middle to bring Todd home.
Seventh-Inning Rally
Senior Farish Beard held Alabama to one hit through 6 1/3 innings. Demi Turner then reached on a bunt and stole second, and All-American Haylie McCleney walked. Chandler Dare drove in both runs with a hit.
Beard allowed three hits and one earned run, striking out six and walking two. The loss was the 10th of her career.
Alabama starter Leslie Jury pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing one earned run on four hits with five strikeouts and three walks. Freshman Alexis Osorio earned the win in relief, striking out four of the seven batters she faced.
Clark: ‘We’ve Got to Execute’
“That was a great game, and it was great for the fans,” South Alabama head coach Becky Clark said. “You want to see your kids battle, and that’s what they did, they’re competitors, but, at the same time, we’ve got to execute. That’s a game that we easily could’ve won if we had executed.”
“This game doesn’t make or break our season,” Clark said. “We’re just getting started. … We left the bases loaded, and we left runners in scoring position, so we’ve just got to execute.”
Sand Dollar Classic Next
Both teams travel to Gulf Shores this weekend for the Sand Dollar Classic. South Alabama’s schedule:
- Friday: Liberty, 6 p.m.
- Saturday: Eastern Kentucky, 3 p.m.; McNeese State, 6 p.m.
- Sunday: Houston, 1 p.m.
Update: Preseason Honors and Poll
South Alabama entered the opener with three Preseason All-Sun Belt selections and the second spot in the conference’s preseason poll. The game was played before a sellout crowd at Jaguar Field.
Beard was one of two pitchers named to the preseason team. She was a first-team All-Sun Belt pick in 2014 and earned National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-South Region honors for the second straight season. She finished sixth in the NCAA with a 1.23 ERA in 2014, helping South Alabama lead the nation with a 1.29 team ERA, and was named to the Top 50 watch list for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year.
Outfielders Stephanie Pilkington and Blair Johnson took two of the three preseason outfield spots. Pilkington, a first-team All-Sun Belt selection last season, hit .292, second-best on the team, and led the Jaguars in hits, triples and sacrifice hits. Johnson, a second-team pick last season, ranked second on the team in hits, sacrifice hits and sacrifice flies; it is her third Preseason All-Sun Belt honor.
In the preseason coaches’ poll, South Alabama was picked second with 74 points and two first-place votes, behind Louisiana-Lafayette, which received 79 points and seven first-place votes. No other team received a first-place vote.
