Arkansas softball falls to No. 1 Alabama

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas softball team dropped a Southeastern Conference doubleheader to No. 1 Alabama on Thursday evening at Lady’Back Yard. The Lady Razorbacks (32-20, 5-14 SEC) fell to the Crimson Tide (41-3, 20-2 SEC) 4-0 in the first game and 3-0 in a shortened nightcap. Game two ended in six innings due to lightening. “We had a very thin margin of error tonight and we didn’t play perfect ball,” said head coach Jamie Pinkerton. “We’re not there yet. We’re on the fringes. We made a couple mistakes and they took advantage.” Arkansas was out hit by Alabama 14-4 in the two contests and committed four errors. Every Lady’Back that singled moved into scoring position, but an Alabama pitching staff that struck out 15 combined with a steadfast defense held the Lady’Backs scoreless on the night. With a 0-0 score after three innings in game one, Alabama got on the scoreboard first in the top of the fourth. Kellie Eubanks hit a one-out single to left field to mark the fourth hit for the Crimson Tide. Whitney Larson walked with two outs before lead-off batter Brittany Rogers singled to shallow center field to plate Eubanks from second. Senior Dayna Huckabee made a diving catch just in front of second base to end the inning with minimal damage. The contest remained close until Eubanks hit a three-run home run to left in the top of the seventh to put Alabama up 4-0. The Lady’Backs had runners in scoring position two times. Sophomore Jessica Bachkora singled to left to lead off the bottom of the first inning and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by junior Kayla Johnson. Junior Jocelyne Moncrief singled up the middle in the second inning and advanced on a groundout to the right side by Bachkora. Alabama pitcher Kelsi Dunne struck out 10 in a complete-game shutout. Dunne allowed two hits and walked one to improve to 17-3. Senior Katy Henry picked up the loss in the circle to move to 16-9. She gave up just one earned run on eight hits and tallied eight K’s. Arkansas loaded the bases with one down in the first inning of the nightcap, but Charlotte Morgan struck out the next two and forced the Lady’Backs to leave three on base. In the top of the second the Crimson Tide jumped out to a 2-0 lead with a two-run double to left center by Whitney Larson. Arkansas had runners in scoring position in the third, but a stingy Alabama defense kept the Lady’Backs from crossing the plate. A single through the left side by Kelley Montalvo in the top of the fifth plated Rogers and gave Alabama a three-run advantage. Sophomores Teighynne Hulsey and Miranda Dixon picked up Arkansas’ hits in game two. Morgan (12-0) fanned seven in the shutout, while Dixon (12-9) gave up three runs on six hits and added three K’s. The Lady’Backs return to SEC action against Ole Miss at Lady’Back Yard this weekend. A doubleheader on Saturday and a single game on Sunday are both slated for 1 p.m. For more information about Arkansas softball, please log on to LADYBACKS.COM.