Catching up with the Crimson Tide: Fouts, Cahalan keep softball rolling

It was an up-and-down week for Alabama athletics as the softball team secured its first SEC series win while the baseball team failed to capitalize on a big win at then-No. 6 Arkansas. Meanwhile, the gymnastics team saw its season come to a close with a fourth-place finish at the NCAA regional in Norman, Oklahoma.

Here are some of the storylines for this week.

What happened: Alabama secured its first SEC series win by beating Missouri two out of three games on the road. Montana Fouts pitched all 16 innings of the two wins against the Tigers, striking out a combined 26 batters while surrendering just seven hits and no runs. She followed that up with another stellar performance Thursday night, striking out 15 batters while giving up three hits and an unearned run over nine innings in Alabama’s 2-1 victory over South Carolina.

Alabama (27-11) was able to put away the Gamecocks thanks to some extra-inning heroics from freshman sensation Kenleigh Cahalan, who provided a game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the ninth.

What’s on deck: Alabama and South Carolina will continue their series Friday at 6 p.m. CT before concluding it on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. South Carolina sits at 3-7 in the conference and needs a win after coming so close to getting it done on Thursday. The Crimson Tide has yet to win the third game of a true three-game set this spring, coming closest in a 2-1 contest against Arkansas on March 20.

Names to know: Saturday will mark Senior Day for infielder Ashley Prange. She leads the Crimson Tide with 11 homers, including two in the Missouri series. Fouts earned SEC Pitcher of the Week and Wilson/NFCA D1 Pitcher of the Week for her two shutout wins last weekend.

What happened: The Crimson Tide appeared to snag some needed momentum last Friday night with a 12-1 victory at Arkansas. Instead, Alabama dropped a pair of close games, falling 9-6 before closing out the series with a 5-4 defeat.

A 10-2 midweek win over Troy on Tuesday was a nice way to set up an important early-weekend series with Mississippi State, but the Bulldogs beat Alabama, 12-8. The Alabama bullpen was shelled for six runs in the seventh inning of the series opener, and the struggling Bulldogs used three homers in the frame to put the game out of reach. The Crimson Tide fought back with three runs in the ninth inning, but the deficit was too great. Two Alabama batters homered — Jim Jarvis and William Hamiter.

What’s on deck: This weekend’s series is far from over. Game 2 for Alabama (22-9) against the Bulldogs was bumped up to a noon CT first pitch due to an unfriendly weather forecast. That means the Crimson Tide won’t have long to lick its wounds before taking the diamond again. However, that can be more of a positive than a negative, as Alabama has the chance to get back out there and play sooner rather than later. Friday’s game is a must-win. The series is still in front of the Crimson Tide, but the mistakes it made Thursday night cannot be repeated. Saturday’s game is currently scheduled for a 5 p.m. CT first pitch.

Names to know: Starting pitcher Jacob McNairy has found much better form in recent weeks, pitching 4⅔ innings of one-run ball in his most recent outing on Tuesday. The 2022 draftee of the Seattle Mariners did his best work in league play last season, and is a key piece in the Alabama rotation in his fifth season. His durable, reliable arm can produce key innings while striking out a lot of batters and limiting damage. Shortstop Jim Jarvis’s defense is on point, per usual, but the California native has now hit three home runs in his past four games, bringing his season total to five. Newfound power for leadoff regular Jarvis adds a new dimension to his versatile game- he’s also more than capable of getting on base.

What happened: The 2023 Alabama gymnastics season came to an end last Saturday in the Norman regional final. The No. 8 Crimson Tide placed fourth at the event, facing all ranked foes. Oklahoma, Kentucky and Ohio State all scored higher than Alabama’s 197.650 and 11 scores of 9.9 or greater were not enough to guide the Crimson Tide onward. Luisa Blanco is moving on to compete on the uneven bars at the NCAA Championships. She scored a 9.975 in Norman to qualify, and is looking to add to her trophy case, which already includes a 2021 NCAA championship on beam. Blanco will compete in Fort Worth, Texas, on April 13.