TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Patrick Murphy’s Sunday morning featured plenty of sweat, a few nerves and some desperate decisions — and that was before his Alabama softball team held on for a 3-2 win over Virginia Tech to claim the Tuscaloosa Regional.

Severe weather in the Tuscaloosa area complicated Murphy’s typical pregame routine, as debris from the storms put the head coach in a bit of a pickle.

“There was a big-ass tree in the road, the only road to get out of our neighborhood,” Murphy explained with a smile after the game. “All our neighborhood had trees down, and my neighbor had a tree fall on their fireplace. So I went over and helped them, and I looked at my watch and it was 9:30. Somebody said, ‘The road is closed, you’re going to have to get in a helicopter or get in a boat.’ Then I started to panic a little.”

From there, Murphy was able to find a ride to the game. The only problem was, he needed to survive somewhat of an obstacle course to reach it.

“I walked about a fourth of a mile down the road, went through ditch and up a hill, past the tree and got on the other side of it,” Murphy said. “My buddy was there to pick me up. Yeah, I don’t know how I’m getting home.”