After scoring 31 runs in a three-game series with Auburn, No. 6 Alabama softball took a long time getting going in the 5-2 win over Troy.
Alabama stranded the bases loaded in the bottom of the second, and until the fifth inning, it looked like that was the closest the Crimson Tide could get to scoring.
In the fifth inning, the Crimson Tide broke open the scoring with a four-run inning. The team followed it up with a run in the bottom of the sixth in the 5-2 win.
“They’re a good team,” Alabama coach Patrick Murphy said. “They only lost 2-0 to Auburn. They beat Lafayette. They beat Florida State. They’re a good team. They’ve won 29 games. She’s [Jaycee Affeldt] a senior pitcher and last year when we went there, we had issues with her for about five innings.”
Sophomore right-hander Sydney Littlejohn started and pitched 4 2/3 innings. She gave up four hits, two of which were home runs. Senior right-hander Leslie Jury (8-3) came in and pitched 2 1/3 innings of relief. She gave up one hit and no runs. She walked one and struck out one.
“It is more pressure, but I just have full faith in my offense,” Jury said. “I know if I leave it where it’s at, they’re going to come back so I feel pressure but at the same time, it’s fun. You gotta keep it light.”
Her offense did come back. In the fifth, senior shortstop Danae Hays reached on a fielder’s choice with the bases loaded. The catcher misplayed the ball on the force out at home allowing Alabama to score two and tie the game.
Senior utility Jadyn Spencer gave Alabama a 4-2 lead with a two-run double. She went 1-for-2 with two RBI.
“I’m just thinking this is the third time through the lineup, third time we’ve seen the same pitcher, and this team is too good for one pitcher to get the same person out three times,” Spencer said.
Sophomore outfielder Chandler Dare added a run in the bottom of the sixth with an RBI single. She went 2-for-4 on the day.
Alabama (36-10, 12-6 SEC) hosts No. 12 Tennessee (35-11, 11-7 SEC) for a three-game series starting Thursday at 7 p.m. on ESPN.
