Bama's Salter, Johnson's diving catch shut down UT
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Alabama softball evened the weekend series and snapped Tennessee's 20-game win streak with a 4-2 win over the Lady Vols on Saturday.
Alabama (24-9, 2-3 SEC) took the first lead with a solo home run from Kali Heivilin in the top of the first before Tennessee (25-2, 7-1 SEC) responded with two in the home half of the inning to take a 2-1 lead. The Crimson Tide brought seven batters to the plate in the top of the third, scoring a pair of runs to retake the lead, 3-2. A two-out RBI single from Jenna Johnson in the top of the sixth made it a two-run game, which proved enough as Alex Salter (5-1) and the Alabama defense shut down the Lady Vols the rest of the way.
Salter threw a complete game in the circle, earning her first career SEC win while holding the league-leading Lady Vols to just two runs on five hits. Emma Broadfoot and Jenna Johnson each had two hits, including a sixth-inning RBI single from Johnson who also had the diving catch in foul territory to end the game. Heivilin drove in two of the Tide's four runs with the solo home run and an RBI groundout.
Highlights
- The win was Alabama's first against a top-five ranked team since beating UCLA at the 2021 Women's College World Series (June 4, 2021) and its first in SEC play since April 18, 2021 against then-No. 4 vs. Florida
- It also snaps Tennessee's 20-game win streak and is the most runs the Lady Vols have given up since their only other loss this season, a 5-4 loss against Cal State Fullerton on Feb. 18
- The eight hits from Alabama are also tied for the most hits allowed this season by Tennessee
- The win is Alex Salter's first career SEC win
Scoring Summary
T1 | Kali Heivilin pulled a solo home run to left field (1-0, 1 Out)
B1 | A single to right from Zaida Puni plated two runs for Tennessee (1-2, 1 Out)
T3 | Kenleigh Cahalan drove in Jenna Johnson from second with a single up the middle (2-2, 0 Out)
T3 | An RBI groundout allowed Kristen White to score from third (3-2, 0 Out)
T6 | The Tide took a two-run lead on an RBI single from Johnson (4-2, 2 Out)
Up Next: at #4/3 Tennessee (Knoxville, Tenn.) Sunday, March 26 - 1:30 p.m. ET