Texas softball falls to Alabama, 8-5, misses out on berth in WCWS

By Steve Habel, Senior Contributing Writer

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — There was no quit in the Texas softball team Saturday, but there was not enough time, innings and at-bats for the Longhorns to make up for their mistakes in a game in which they could afford none.

Alabama, the opponent in the deciding game of UT’s sixth appearance in an NCAA Super Regional, had a lot to do with that as well, making all the plays and getting a complete-game, 150-pitch performance from freshman ace pitcher Montana Fouts to hold off Texas, 8-5, Saturday afternoon at Rhodes Stadium in Tuscaloosa.

In the process, Alabama advanced to its 12th College World Series appearance where it will play Oklahoma State in the first round of college softball’s championship tournament next week in Oklahoma City.

The loss[s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)] ended the Longhorns’ push for its first College World Series appearance since 2013 and ended their season at 46-17. Texas’ 46 wins were the most for the program since registering 51 during the 2013 campaign. The Longhorns are now 8-4 all-time in NCAA Super Regional contests and are 1-2 in road matchups.

“The resiliency they showed and the fight and the character, it bodes well for this team,” Texas coach Mike White said. “We’ve learned a lot from this, and we can build on that.”

Yes, the Crimson Tide won, but it would be difficult to say that if Alabama and Texas played 10 times, the set wouldn’t even up dead-even. The Longhorns played without star pitcher Miranda Elish, who suffered a sinus injury Friday when she was hit in the face by ball thrown by UT catcher Mary Iakopo.

Elish was released from a local hospital overnight and was in the dugout for the game wearing a batting helmet to protect her injury.

Then there were Texas mistakes: two huge errors that allowed the Crimson Tide added opportunities and extra outs that the Longhorns could not afford to surrender, especially in a game with so little margin of error.

“We shot ourselves in the foot,” White said. “We didn’t help ourselves — there’s no doubt about that.”

Texas had won its past five elimination games, capturing four contests out of the losers’ bracket last weekend in the Austin Regional and forging its largest comeback of the campaign Friday to beat Alabama and stave off the offseason for one more day.

Each team threatened in the first inning, with Texas second baseman Janae Jefferson being thrown out at the plate trying to score to end the top half of the frame and the Crimson Tide loading the bases with walks before UT starting pitcher Brooke Bolinger coaxed a flyout to squelch the chance.

Alabama took the lead in the second on a one-out RBI single off Bolinger by right fielder KB Sides that plated third baseman Maddie Morgan. The Longhorns answered in their ensuing at bat when a two-out single by Iakopo drove home first baseman Lauren Burke, who had singled.

The Crimson Tide retook the lead with five runs in the third inning, four of them unearned after a dropped fly ball by UT center field Reagan Hathaway.

With the score tied, 1-1, Alabama scored its first run of the inning on a sacrifice fly by Morgan that scored second baseman Skylar Wallace. Then with two out Hathaway got glove on but could not corral a deep fly ball by shortstop Claire Jenkins, allowing the inning to continue. After a walk, Sides ripped a three-run home run over the left-center field wall. First baseman Bailey Hemphill followed with a solo homer to push the Crimson Tide lead to 6-1.

“That five-run inning was big-time for us,” Alabama coach Patrick Murphy said. “We knew that they’d make another run. There was no doubt in our mind.”

A two-out bloop single by Morgan in the fourth brought across the seventh run for Alabama and expanded the Crimson Tide’s advantage.

But the Longhorns refused to succumb, pulling to within 7-5 in the top of the fifth on a one-out grand slam by third baseman Shannon Rhodes, her third round-tripper of the NCAA playoffs after she had three in the regular season.

The home run was the third allowed in the Super Regional by Alabama’s Fouts, who entered this best-of-three series having allowed just three long balls all season

“‘Texas Fight’ is no joke,” Murphy said. “We just knew that we had to lay it all out on the line and keep fighting until the last pitch.”

Morgan continued her torrid performance with an RBI single to left in the sixth inning to push Alabama’s lead to 8-5.

Texas got two runners on base with two outs in the seventh but Alabama native MK Tedder flew out to right field to end the game.

“Work hard in the fall and get ready for the next season,” Iakopo said when asked about what awaits the Longhorns. “We can only go up from here.”
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