Liberty University
6-1
Alabama
5-0
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Alabama | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | X | 6 | 10 | 1 |
No. 5 Alabama Holds Off Liberty 6-3
2/19/2021 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Liberty narrowed an early 4-0 deficit to one run by scoring three runs in the middle innings before the fifth-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide pulled away for a 6-3 victory on Friday at Rhoads Stadium.
Alabama (5-0) had not allowed a single run in its first four games combined before Liberty (6-1) struck for three runs today. The Lady Flames' season-opening six-game winning streak comes to a close.
Scoring Summary
Alabama – 1st INNING – Dowling singles, Sides scores, 1-0
Alabama – 1st INNING – Tow singles, Dowling scores, 2-0
Alabama – 1st INNING – Johnson singles, Tow scores, 3-0
Alabama – 1st INNING – Clark reaches on error, Jenkins scores, 4-0
Liberty – 3rd INNING – Channell homers, 4-1
Liberty – 4th INNING – Bishop-Riley scores on error, 4-2
Liberty – 4th INNING – Hudson scores on a passed ball, 4-3
Alabama – 4th INNING – Mack singles, Brown and Johnson score, 6-3
Notable Numbers
- Alabama held a 10-2 advantage in hits, while Liberty committed two errors and Alabama committed one. The Crimson Tide came into the game 19-for-20 on the season in stolen bases, but only went 1-for-4 today, as Liberty's Caroline Hudson caught three runners stealing.
- Making her second career start against the Lady Flames, 2019 SEC Pitcher of the Year Sarah Cornell gave up three runs (two earned) on two hits in three innings. Lexi Kilfoyl improved to 3-0 on the season with four hitless innings in which she struck out four.
- Liberty's Megan Johnson (1-1) drew the loss, allowing four runs (three earned) on four hits in 2/3 of an inning. Karlie Keeney yielded two unearned runs on six hits, striking out four in 5 1/3 innings of relief.
- Alabama's Kaylee Tow batted 3-for-3 with an RBI, while KB Sides and Elissa Brown both went 2-for-3 with a run scored.
- Savannah Channell hit her first career home run, while Amber Bishop went 1-for-3 with a run scored.
Turning Point
- The Crimson Tide jumped ahead 4-0 after one inning, scoring four runs on four hits while taking advantage of a two-out Liberty error to score an unearned run.
- Liberty's Savannah Channell belted her first career home run in the top of the third. The Lady Flames then loaded the bases with nobody out in the fourth, chasing starter Cornell. Reliever Kilfoyl allowed two inherited runners to score, on an error and passed ball. However, she shut the door by retiring the final 12 batters of the game.
- Meanwhile, Alabama added two unearned runs in the bottom of the fourth to regain a three-run lead at 6-3.
Beyond the Box Score
- Alabama leads the all-time series, 4-0, against Liberty in softball.
- Liberty's Amber Bishop-Riley was listed on the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 50 Watch List, while Alabama had four players named to that list (KB Sides, Lexi Kilfoyl, Montana Fouts, Bailey Hemphill).
- Liberty defeated today's Alabama starting pitcher, Sarah Cornell, in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Columbia Regional, when she was pitching for Hofstra. That day, Liberty topped the Pride 2-0 in 10 innings for the program's first NCAA postseason game win.
- Today's game was the first of 12 games on Liberty's schedule this season against teams currently in the Top 25. The Lady Flames have two games each against Alabama, LSU, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Virginia Tech and Tennessee on the schedule.
- Hudson came into today's game having thrown out five would-be basestealers in 29 career games.
- Channell is the first Lady Flame since Alexia Taylor (March 5, 2015 at South Carolina) to hit her first career home run against an SEC team.
- Liberty had won its last seven games in a row before today's loss, beginning on March 8, 2020 against New Mexico.
Up Next
Liberty will play twice tomorrow at the Bama Bash, taking on No. 7 LSU at noon ET before a rematch with Alabama immediately following at 2:30 p.m. ET.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Kilfoyl (3-0)
L: Johnson, Megan (1-1)
Batting:
HR: Channell, Savannah 1
RBI: Channell, Savannah 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Bishop-Riley, Amber 1 ; Hudson, Caroline 1 ; Channell, Savannah 1
Batting:
RBI: Mack 2 ; Dowling 1 ; Tow 1 ; J. Johnson 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Sides 1 ; Dowling 1 ; Tow 1 ; Jenkins 1 ; J. Johnson 1 ; Brown 1
SB: Sides 1
CS: Sides 1 ; Tow 1 ; Brown 1
