TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Call her Kali Clutch.
When Alabama softball’s bats have needed a boost in the weekend’s Tuscaloosa Regional, Kali Heivilin has had the answer. After sparking the Crimson Tide’s offense in an opening win against Jackson State on Friday night, the senior second baseman was back at it again Saturday, providing the go-ahead home run in Alabama’s 4-3 victory over Virginia Tech on Saturday.
“I kind of just go out there and understand that, ‘Hey, it’s your time to do something,’” Heivilin said following the win. “I just told myself put the ball in play, Audrey [Vandagriff’s] fast, something will happen.”
Alabama, which earned the No. 15 national seed in the NCAA Tournament, is now one win away from reaching its third straight super regional. The Tide will look to clinch the regional on Sunday as it plays either Virginia Tech, Belmont or Jackson State. Whichever one of those opponents ends up playing Alabama will need to beat the Tide twice to advance.
They’ll also need to solve Heivlin, something Alabama’s first two opponents have been unable to do this weekend.
Heivilin went 1-for-1 with a pair of walks against Virginia Tech, belting a two-run home run over the centerfield fence to give Alabama a 3-2 lead in the bottom third. Through two games in the regional, the senior is 3-for-4 with three walks, two runs and four RBIs.
During Friday’s win over JSU, Heivilin legged out a two-out infield single to score Alabama’s first run in the bottom of the third. That prompted a four-run rally, which ultimately led to a run-rule win over the Tigers.
Saturday’s victory over Virginia Tech required a bit more drama.
Alabama spotted the Hokies a pair of runs in the first inning as starting pitcher Jocelyn Briski struggled with her control. The Tide ace walked the first two batters of the frame before ultimately giving up a pair of earned runs on three hits.
Virginia Tech appeared to take a 3-0 lead on a two-run single to left with three outs. However, upon review, it was determined that left fielder Lauren Johnson’s throw to the plate beat Virginia Tech’s Bre Peck to the plate for the third out of the inning.
Heads-up baserunning allowed the Tide to get a run back in the bottom of the third as Brooke Ellestad scored from second on a dropped third strike with one out.
"That was all her," Alabama head coach Patrick said of Ellestad's decision to bolt for home. "She read the dropped third strike, and then she was past third andd on the throw, she took off. Seriously, it was all her. Very aggressive, and she made it easy. It wasn't even close."
With Alabama trailing 2-1, Audrey Vandagriff led off the bottom of the third with a walk before stealing second and advancing to third on a throwing error. The stolen base was Vandagriff's 50th of the year, making her just the third Alabama player to achieve the feat in a single season.
Virginia Tech challenged the steal, arguing Vandagriff left first base too early. However, the call on the field was upheld, setting up Heivilin's heroics two batters later.
"The challenge about her leaving early, she said something to me at third like, 'I never leave early,'" Murphy said of his conversation with Vandagriff during the challenge. "I was like, 'Please God, not this time.' But that's what you need from a baserunner — no fear at all of getting thrown out, and whatever happens happens."
After a tumultuous first inning in the circle, Briski rebounded to pitch around trouble for the remainder of the game. The Alabama ace went a full seven innings, giving up three earned runs on seven hits while striking out five batters
Briski forced Virginia Tech to strand runners in scoring position in the first, second, fourth and seventh innings. After allowing the Hokies to cut Alabama’s lead to 4-3 with a solo home run in the top of the fifth inning, she retired eight of the final 11 batters she faced to close out the win.
“A lot of time, when I get into that trouble it’s the walks and everything,” Heiviln said when asked about her ability to rebound in the circle. “So being able to throw strikes, get ahead of the batters is the key in those kind of situations. Just trusting the defense to work. It’s just first-pitch strikes, second-pitch strikes and getting in the 1-2, 0-2 counts definitely allows me to use more of my chase pitches and everything. So I think that definitely made a big difference.”
