Alabama Softball Secured a Successful Win with a 13-1 Run on Thursday

COLUMBIA, S.C. - In a dominant display of power, No. 14 Alabama Softball rolled into the final week of Southeastern Conference regular-season play with a commanding 13-1 run-rule victory over No. 12 South Carolina on Thursday night at Beckham Field.

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The Crimson Tide wasted no time setting the tone. A two-out error in the top of the first gave Alabama an early 1-0 edge. From there, the bats came alive - and never ended

What followed in the second inning was nothing short of offensive explosion. The Crimson Tide sent 13 batters to the plate in a relentless rally that produced 10 runs, turning a tight contest into a blowout.

Salen Hawkins ignited the Crimson Tide with a single, and after a misplayed hit by the Gamecocks, Marlie Giles hit a ball to left field, allowing Hawkins to score. Larissa Preuitt then doubled, and after the Gamecocks made a pitching change, Audrey Vandagriff greeted the pitcher with a two-run double. The hits kept coming - Lauren Johnson added an RBI double, Kali Heivilin followed with a run-scoring single, and after a walk and another Hawkins single, Abby Duchscherer brought in two more.

The highlight of the game came when Giles stepped up again and crushed a three-run homer, capping the monster inning. The Gamecocks managed a run in the bottom of the second, but the Crimson Tide's offense kept the pressure on. A bases-loaded walk and hit-by-pitch in the fourth added two more runs, pushing the score to 13-1.

While the Crimson Tide's offense stole the spotlight, the pitching staff held firm, scattering just a few hits and allowing only one run across five innings. By the bottom of the fifth, the Crimson Tide had done enough to trigger the run-rule.

The teams will be back in action on Friday, May 2 at 5 p.m. CST, with streaming available on ESPN.