Tuscaloosa, Ala. – The Arizona State softball team (35-20) fell to the Alabama Crimson Tide, 9-8, in the 2019 Tuscaloosa Regional Final Sunday afternoon.
"I am at a little loss for words," head coach
Trisha Ford said. "This is a tough one. They gave me everything they had. That is what we are about at ASU. We fight to the very end. From a life perspective, these ladies are going to be successful on and off the field. I couldn't be more proud of them. Alabama is a hell of a team, but we left everything out there on the field. When you finish your career that is what you want. Like I said, this is just a tough one."
With neither team able to bring in a run in the first, it was the Sun Devils who put the pressure on for the first time in the bottom of the second. Following back to back walks to
Maddi Hackbarth and Kiarra Kennedy, Yannira Acuna loaded the bases with a one-out hit to shallow right. Unfortunately for the Sun Devils, the Tide defense would buckle down to escape the frame unscathed.
Following a quiet top of the third, the Sun Devils got back to work offensively.
Morgan Howe and
Skylar McCarty both reached on singles, before a heads up play from the Alabama catcher led to a pickoff at second. With two out and one on,
Jade Gortarez lifted a ball over the wall in left for her second home run of the Tuscaloosa Regional, a shot that gave the Sun Devils a two-run lead heading to the fourth.
Following another shutdown inning from Meza in the circle, ASU got the offense back in gear in the home half of the fourth. With two on and two out, senior
Morgan Howe blasted a 2-0 pitch well over the wall in right to extend the Sun Devil lead to 5-0.
The Tide would answer back with their first run of the game, a solo-shot to start the top of the fifth. Later in the inning, Alabama would tie things up with a grand slam, making it a 5-5 game.
With the Sun Devils unable to regain the lead in the bottom of the fifth, the Crimson Tide would take their first lead of the game with an RBI single with one out in the top half of the sixth. From there, back-to-back singles would push the Alabama lead to 8-5.
Arizona State would come back to life in the home half of the inning, as three runs would cross the plate to tie things up at 8-8. Howe got the rally started with a walk, and would be joined on the base path by
Skylar McCarty and
Kindra Hackbarth who also drew walks. Gortarez would follow with a bases loaded single up the middle, a dribbler that brought in two runs, cutting the Alabama lead to 8-7. The Sun Devils would work in the tying run on a
Maddi Hackbarth single that knotted the score at 8-8.
The Tide would not go quietly, scoring a run in the top of the seventh to send ASU back to the plate within striking distance.
Acuna stayed hot at the plate, lacing a single through the middle of the infield, and a driving rain. As soon as the speedy freshman reached base, the game entered a nine-minute rain delay. Returning from the break, Arizona State again looked to get the momentum back in their favor. Unfortunately, the maroon and gold failed to string hits together, ending the Sun Devils' season.
TUSCALOOSA REGIONAL SCHEDULE and RESULTS
Game 1:
Friday –
Arizona State 4 vs. Lipscomb 3
Game 2:
Friday –
No. 8 Alabama 8. Alabama St. 2
Game 3:
Saturday – Arizona State 4 vs. No. 8
Alabama 7
Game 4:
Saturday –
Lipscomb 14 vs. Alabama State 0
Game 5:
Saturday – Lipscomb 1 vs.
Arizona State 10
Game 6:
Sunday –
No. 8 Alabama 9 vs. Arizona State 8
