Alabama softball defeated North Dakota State 8-1 on March 27 in the first of two weekend matchups at Rhoads Stadium in Tuscaloosa.
The victory improves Alabama’s record to 32-2. The team came from behind after North Dakota State scored a run in the top of the first inning. Alabama quickly responded with two runs in the bottom half and maintained control for the rest of the game. Pitcher Vic Moten earned her thirteenth win of the season, striking out a season-best fourteen batters.
Brooke Wells contributed significantly to Alabama’s offense by going two-for-three and hitting a home run off the scoreboard in the fifth inning. This marked her third consecutive game with a home run and her fifteenth this year. Larissa Preuitt, who was honored during senior day celebrations, drove in Alabama’s final two runs with a bases-loaded single.
Head Coach Patrick Murphy said, “I was really pleased with Vic [Moten] tonight. She responded well to them scoring in the first inning and then went on to strike out eight in a row at one point later in the game and was in total command the rest of the way. The defense played really well and the offense battled through a really windy day with it going straight across. We crushed a couple balls that got caught in the wind and their outfielders made good plays all night. In the sixth inning we put together a two-out rally and I was really pleased that we had three seniors on base and Larissa Preuitt, celebrating her senior day, got up and came through with the two-run single.” Murphy also said about Preuitt: “Larissa has been such a great ambassador for the program and for this university. She’s an outstanding young lady on and off the field. We couldn’t ask for a better family to join along with her in this ride over the last four years.”
Other highlights include Wells’ home run being Alabama’s sixty-first of this season—one short of entering both team single-season top ten records set previously—and Moten reaching her one hundredth strikeout for this year after setting another personal best earlier against Jax State.
Alabama will face North Dakota State again Saturday afternoon at Rhoads Stadium.
