Walk-Off Grit: Alabama Softball Finds a Way Late to Take the Series

(© Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK)

There’s something about this Alabama softball team, when it looks like the moment might be slipping, they don’t panic… they respond.

And that’s exactly what happened Saturday in Tuscaloosa.

Down two runs heading into the bottom of the seventh, with the pressure cranked all the way up, No. 2 Alabama dug in and did what great teams do, they found a way.

When it was all said and done, it was Audrey Vandagriff delivering the final blow, ripping a two-out, bases-loaded single to seal a 5-4 walk-off win over Kentucky and lock up the series.

But make no mistake, this wasn’t a smooth ride to the finish.

For five innings, it was a pitcher’s duel. Then, like we’ve seen so many times this season, Alexis Pupillo stepped up and changed everything with one swing. Her two-run bomb in the fifth finally cracked the scoreboard and gave Alabama a 2-0 lead, injecting life into the dugout and the crowd at Rhoads.

And just like that… momentum shifted again.

Kentucky answered right back in the sixth, putting together a three-run inning to flip the game on its head and take a 3-2 lead. Then in the seventh, a solo home run stretched it to 4-2, and suddenly Alabama was staring down its final three outs with work to do.

But this team doesn’t flinch.

Brooke Wells got it started with a clutch RBI single to cut the deficit to one. Ambrey Taylor followed with a disciplined at-bat, drawing a walk to load the bases and keep the pressure squarely on Kentucky.

Then came one of the biggest moments of the game: Marlie Giles dropped a ball into shallow right that was initially ruled an out. After a challenge, the call was overturned, and just like that, the tying run crossed the plate.

Chaos.

Energy.

Momentum fully back in crimson.

Still, it all came down to one more swing.

With two outs and the bases still loaded, Vandagriff stepped into the box with the game on her bat, and didn’t try to do too much. She stayed within herself and slapped a high single into the infield, bringing home the winning run and sending the crowd into a frenzy.

Ballgame.

Head coach Patrick Murphy said it best after the win: it was everything you expect from SEC softball: competitive, emotional, and worth every second.

And he’s right.

Because this wasn’t just a win… it was a statement.