Alabama’s run in the Women’s College World Series came to an end Sunday evening, as the No. 14 seed Crimson Tide suffered a 6-4 loss to No. 4 seed Florida in an elimination game.
Alabama ended its season at 39-20 but made it further than most expected after finishing ninth in the SEC while recording a losing record in conference play for the first time in school history.
After winning the Tuscaloosa Regional, the Crimson Tide upset No. 3 seed Tennessee in the Knoxville Super Regional to punch its ticket to Oklahoma City. The Tide put up a fight on college softball’s biggest stage, staving off elimination with a win over Duke after dropping its opener against No. 6 seed UCLA. However, it wasn’t able to continue its magic against Florida to keep its season alive.
"They squeezed every single ounce of being a great teammate, being great leaders, being great reps of the University of Alabama, worked their butts off, and they got here beyond anything that I could ever imagine," Alabama softball coach Patrick Murphy said of his players. "And it's been one of the most enjoyable teams to coach in my career."
An Alabama pitching staff that had kept the Tide’s struggling bats afloat all postseason finally faltered against the Gators on Sunday.
Kayla Beaver limited Florida to two runs over four innings. However, the Gators hit the Alabama ace hard, tagging her for six hits while chasing her from the circle after four frames.
Alabama sent out freshman Jocelyn Briski to the circle to face the heart of Florida’s lineup in the top of the fifth. After giving up a single and a walk to begin the inning, she surrendered a go-ahead single to Florida’s Reagan Walsh to give the Gators a 3-2 lead.
Briski limited the damage to a run in the fifth, but Florida was able to break things open an inning later. After the Gators put runners on first and second with one out, Alabama head coach Patrick Murphy elected to replace Briski with sophomore Alea Johnson instead of having Beaver re-enter the game in the circle.
That ended up being a mistake, as Johnson surrendered a three-run home run to Florida’s Jocelyn Erikson three pitches later to extend the Gators’ advantage to 6-2. Johnson’s appearance was her first of the postseason with her last outing coming on May 4 against Auburn.
Alabama had a chance to tie things up in the bottom of the inning as Riley Valentine stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and one out. Valentine entered the game with two grand slams, including one to help Alabama secure a win over Tennessee in Game 3 of the Knoxville Super Regional. However, she only managed a fielder’s choice Sunday, scoring a run for the Tide while putting runners on the corners for Kali Heivilin with two outs.
Heivilin plated another run with a single through the left side, but that’s all Alabama would muster as Lauren Johnson flew out to right field to end the threat.
After combining for just three runs over its first two games in the WCWS, Alabama generated some early production at the plate. The Tide took an early lead in the bottom of the second, taking advantage of a two-base error from Florida center fielder Kendra Falby before bringing home its first run two batters later on an RBI groundout from Valentine.
After Florida answered back with a pair of runs in the top of the third, Alabam tied the game in the bottom half of the inning, leading off with a walk and a single before Marlie Giles brought home a run with a single to left.
Alabama's seven hits Sunday were its most in a game since recording 11 in a 14-inning win over Tennessee in the super regionals. However, the Tide left five runners on base, failing to take full advantage of its increased production at the plate.
