No. 14 Alabama Softball experienced a heartbreaking loss to Kentucky in extra innings, falling 4-3. This defeat marks Patrick Murphy’s team’s third consecutive series loss at the start of SEC conference play.
The game was intense, going into extra innings before Kentucky secured a 4-3 win with a walk-off double from Rylea Smith in the bottom of the eighth inning.
The game started defensively strong for both teams, with neither scoring in the first inning. However, Kentucky took the lead in the bottom of the second inning when Erin Coffel’s hit capitalized on a Crimson Tide fielding error, bringing Hallie Mitchell home for a 1-0 lead.
Alabama responded in the top of the third inning with Jenna Johnson’s home run, tying the score at 1-1. They then took the lead in the fourth inning with Marlie Giles scoring on a passed ball for a 2-1 advantage.
Kentucky fought back in the bottom of the fourth, taking a 3-2 lead with Karissa Hamilton’s two-RBI double. Alabama leveled the score at 3-3 in the top of the seventh inning with a single from Kenleigh Cahalan.
With no further scoring, the game went into extra innings. In the bottom of the eighth, Kentucky secured the win with Smith’s double driving in Alexia Lacatena for the walk-off victory.
After this tough loss to Kentucky, Alabama is gearing up for another game on the road against Jacksonville State on Tuesday at 6:00 PM.
