Courtesy of Alabama Athletics
STANFORD, Calif. – Alabama softball closed out its weekend at the Stanford Nike Invitational with a no-hitter by freshman Alexis Osorio, as the offense backed her up to the tune of a 10-0 victory over Pacific.
Alabama (11-1) bounced back from a tough loss yesterday with a strong performance on Sunday, led in the circle by Alexis Osorio (4-0) with the no-hitter. It the 24th no-hitter in program history and already the second this season for Alabama, following sophomore Sydney Littlejohn’s perfect game on Feb. 6 against Eastern Kentucky. It is the fourth no-hitter thrown by a freshman in program history, as Kelsi Dunne did so twice as a freshman in 2008 and Jaclyn Traina once in 2011.
Offensively, Haylie McCleney and Demi Turner were a potent one-two combo at the top of the order, going a combined 7-7 with five runs and six RBI. Two of McCleney’s three hits were doubles and Turner legged out a double and a triple. Marisa Runyon earned the remaining two of the Tide’s eight RBI on a bases-loaded walk and an RBI double.
The lone base runner for Pacific (3-8) reached on a fourth-inning throwing error, as the Tiger offense had no answer for Osorio in the circle. Pacific starter Carly Mortensen (0-2) took the loss as she struggled to find the strike zone early, allowing six earned runs on six hits and six walks in 2.1 innings pitched.
Mortensen had issues finding the strike zone in the bottom of the first, as a pair of walks and a bunt single had the bases loaded with two away. A wild pitch advanced everyone to score one and back-to-back walks brought another home to make it 2-0. Three straight singles to lead off the bottom of the second loaded the bases yet again for Alabama, but the Tide could not bring a run across as they stranded the bases loaded for a second straight inning.
Runyon added a third run in the bottom of the third inning, launching a long double to the center field wall to score Rachel Bobo all the way from first. Later in the inning, McCleney drove in a pair on a double up the middle, making it 5-0 and ending Mortensen’s outing in the circle as Dani Bonnet entered in relief. Turner drove in another with an RBI triple to the wall in right center and crossed the plate herself on a wild pitch to make it 7-0. A strikeout would eventually end the long half-inning as the Tide batted around the order to take the big seven-run lead.
McCleney launched her second double of the day in the bottom of the fourth, driving in two to make it 9-0 and Turner backed her up with another RBI double to make it 10-0, which proved final as Osorio closed it out in the top of the fifth to complete the no-hitter.
