Alabama defeated Arkansas 4-1 in the SEC Softball Tournament, securing the series victory. Ambrey Taylor hit a solo home run, contributing to the team's success.
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March 15, 2026; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Alabama batter Ambrey Taylor is congratulated by head coach Patrick Murphy after she hit a pinch hit, solo home run at Rhoads Stadium. Alabama defeated Arkansas 4-1 to claim the series. | Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Patrick Murphy retooled the lineup in a way we have been pining for for a couple of weeks now. He moved Alexis Pupillo out of the leadoff spot and moved her down to third in the batting order. Jena Young took her spot at the top of the order.
Alabama put two runners on base in the 2nd inning with no outs. However, the Tide could not capitalize. In the 3rd, Robyn Herron struck out Young, Brooke Wells, and Pupillo in order – perhaps the first time all season that an opposing pitcher struck out the side on Alabama.
Alabama had some miscues in the top of the 4th when Tianna Bell hit a ball to right fielder Ana Roman. Charging in, the freshman misjudged the ball and it skipped under her glove and all the way to the wall. Bell made it to third base with one out. Starting Bama pitcher Jocelyn Briski threw a pitch to the next batter that must have slipped out of her hand because it skipped the ground several feet in front of home plate. Catcher Marile Giles could not corral the ball and the runner scored. On the play, Briski must have forgotten there was a runner on third, since she neglected to cover home plate as Giles scrambled to retrieve the ball.
In the bottom of the frame, the first two Bama batters struck out for six whiffs in a row. But Audrey Vandagriff swung on the second pitch she saw and drove the ball over the right center field wall.
Alabama won the game against Arkansas with a final score of 4-1.
Ambrey Taylor hit a pinch hit, solo home run for Alabama during the game.
Coach Patrick Murphy moved Alexis Pupillo from the leadoff spot to third in the batting order and placed Jena Young at the top.
Alabama had two runners on base in the 2nd inning but could not capitalize, and in the 3rd inning, they faced three consecutive strikeouts.
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Ambrey Taylor followed up with a double, but Salen Hawkins struck out to end the inning.
It was a better outcome for the top of the order the third time through the lineup. Young hit a sky-high ball to left field that found an imaginary hole in the Arkansas fielder’s glove. The left fielder was battling the sun, but the ball seemed to go right through her glove. With Young on second base, Wells made Arky pay for the mistake with a first pitch bomb to center field.
One batter later, Pupillo golfed a ball to almost the same spot to put the Tide up 4-1.
That was the end of the day for Herron.
Alabama was not done with the long-balls though. In the 6th, Taylor crushed a ball over the fence to make it 5-1.
Following a ground out, Kristen White hit a solid single up the middle and Wells knocked her in with a single. Pinch-hitter Abby Duchscherer hit a sharp grounder to third base that the Arky fielder simply whiffed on and pinch-runner Gerritt Griggs came around to score the seventh Tide run of the game.
Outside of the unusual wild pitch, Briski (21-2) was masterful. She only allowed the one unearned run and 3 hits while striking out 7. The most mature thing from Briski is how she shook off the mistakes of the 4th inning and kept her roll going.
NOTES:
Auburn’s loss to Florida eliminated them from NCAA Tournament eligibility. The Tigers finish the year with a losing record (27-28) for the first time since 2007 and miss the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013.
ESPN will cover the semis and the final. If there are weather delays, networks could change.
THROW THE BALL
The Gators and Tiger had a wild back-and-forth game. UF starter Keagan Rothrock was rocked for five earned runs over the first four innings. No. 2 pitcher Olivia Miller was not much better, yielding four runs of her own. It took two more Florida pitchers to close out the 7th inning. It will be interesting to see who the Gators start tomorrow.
HIT THE BALL
Florida leadoff hitter Taylor Shumaker was 3 for 5 with two runs scored. Kendall Grover was 3-4 with 3 RBIs and a dinger. UF had 11 hits but also gave up 12 to Auburn.
CATCH THE BALL
Two errors for Fla.
HOT HEADS
The hot head of hot heads: Tim Walton is in his 21st season in Gainesville.
What a relief to see the big bats return. The Gators have big bats too, but they have never faced Vic Moten. IF she is on, the Tide should roll.