04.02.11 | Alabama 7, South Carolina 0

When the Midlands of South Carolina was obsessed with drinking face at a horse race or attending a Highland games festival, a near-capacity crowd watched No. 1 Alabama reprise its Friday win with a 7-0 win over the Gamecocks. But before the game started, the wind blowing out was duly noted.

Alabama secured a 3-0 lead in the top of the third inning when Jaz Lunceford drove in an RBI and Jackey Branham knocked a two-run shot over the wall in left-centerfield. Though Carolina was able to get runners on base in the meantime, USC couldn't get anyone across the plate. In the top of the sixth, the Tide had the bases loaded with Kayle Braud coming to the plate. She rocketed the ball to center with one out and claimed a grand slam that demoralized the Carolina faithful. In the bottom of the seventh inning, USC did its own effort to load the bases, threatening pitcher Jackie Traina's shutout. However, she maintained her cool and first baseman Cassie Reilly-Boccia tagged out a runner to end the matchup with her 14th win of the season. The victory landed the Tide at 11-1 in conference, and 36-2 overall.

04.03.11 | Alabama 1, South Carolina 0

You like it, I like it, we all like it. Defensive domination makes Bama fans happy, and shutting out a team over three games certainly measures up. To add to the celebration is that famed Tide pitcher Kelsi Dunne no-hit Carolina on Sunday afternoon, while her offensive support did all it needed to do -- put one run across the plate. The game marked Dunne's eighth no-hitter of her career and her second of the year. The only run of the game came courtesy of Whitney Larsen, who singled to left to drive in Braud. Alabama stays on the road to take on LSU before ultimately returning home to take on Mississippi State on April 15.

Hey, everybody. I started thinking about OTS' latest comment on the Curry years and wrote a fairly lengthy post of my own over at my site. I generally agree with what OTS says, while adding my own thoughts and experiences. It was written before today's announcement on Star Jackson, but go over and take a look if you're interested.

WR: The Curry legacy, and thoughts on this year's contest

Sunday, No. 7 Alabama finished up its time in Columbus, drawing Central Florida in the last game in the NFCA Leadoff Classic. Up to this point, the Crimson Tide had an 11-game winning streak and looking at an opponent that was unranked and sub-.500, chances looked good to make the streak a dozen. Things, needless to say, did not go as planned.

GAME FIVE: UCF 3, Alabama 2

How did this happen? A lot of singles in one inning for Central Florida, and not enough runs coming from the Bama offense.

The Tide started off the game going down 1-2-3, then the Golden Knights came up for what would ultimately win the game. It was Amanda Locke's turn to start in the circle, and it started off innocuously enough with a fly out. Shortstop Natalie Land started off the singles party, sending one up through the infield, making it to second on a passed ball. She was able to score when third baseman Hillary Barrow sent the ball into left field for another single. Pitcher Ashleigh Cole singled as well, moving to second on the throw, while Barrow claimed third. The second run of the inning came when first baseman Arielle Palafox singled to left, driving in Barrow and putting Cole on third. Locke appeared to be on her way to getting out of the inning by striking out the next batter, but Central Florida had one more coming. Second baseman Marissa Menendez notched an RBI single, and that was all UCF would need for the ballgame.

Neither team did much offensively in the second, but in the top of the third inning, leftfielder Jazlyn Lunceford hit a solo shot to left to put Alabama on the board. Centerfielder Jennifer Fenton followed that up with a single and a stolen base, as did second baseman Kayla Braud. With runners on second and third, first baseman Charlotte Morgan hit a fly-out, but Fenton used the chance to score. That would be it for the Tide, and it was the end of the winning streak.

Locke stayed in for four innings, recording her first loss of the season while giving up three earned runs on six hits, striking out three and walking one. Kelsi Dunne came in for the last two, striking out four. One inning can change a game. It broke in Bama's favor earlier, but it didn't in this game.

Liked that game against Michigan? The teams are going to meet up again. This weekend, Alabama invites the Wolverines and DePaul to Tuscaloosa for the Easton Challenge. Bama doesn't have a mid-week game, so this should give the Tide some time to rest up and get ready for another tough weekend of non-conference action.

On Saturday at the NFCA Leadoff Classic, No. 7 Alabama squared off against No. 4 Michigan and Nebraska. Last year, Michigan put the Crimson Tide in a bad place by beating Bama 6-1 in the first game of the Women's College World Series. As well, the Wolverines are 5-3 against Alabama all-time. The only time Nebraska met the Tide was in the NFCA Leadoff Classic eight years ago. Saturday was set to be pretty interesting.

GAME THREE: Alabama 10, Michigan 6

Charlotte Morgan, who pitched against Maryland, was called up to be in the circle versus the Wolverines, one of the best teams in college softball. It's funny, because northern teams are usually not that good at softball and baseball, considering that when the season starts, it's still damn cold. That's why teams from the SEC, Big XII and especially the PAC-10 do so much better, year in and year out.

Michigan announced its presence with authority, going up 1-0 in the bottom of the first inning. Leftfielder Bree Evans came up and knocked a double to right-center, and advanced to third on an illegal pitch. With two outs, catcher Roya St. Clair singled to center for an RBI. In the third, Alabama was able to tie up the game. On one out, second baseman Kayla Braud reached first on a bunt, and rightfielder Cassie Reilly-Boccia singled to right-center to put two runners on base. Morgan lined out, but shortstop Whitney Larsen claimed first base on an error that allowed Braud to score.

UM roared back in the bottom of the fifth, putting three runs on the board. Rightfielder Angela Findlay started it off with a walk, and third baseman Maggie Viefhaus came up with a single. After getting an out on a pop-fly, Lauren Sewell took over pitching duties for Morgan. It didn't help. First baseman Dorian Shaw drove in both Findlay and Viefhaus on a single to center. Brooke Ward came on to pinch run for Shaw, making it to third and then heading home via a fielder's choice and a throwing error.

Tide first baseman Amanda Locke cut the lead to 4-2 with a solo home run in the top of the sixth, then Michigan piled on again in the bottom of the inning. Centerfielder Molly Bausher started things off with a double, and moved to third thanks to a single by Evans. A single by Viefhaus drove in Bausher, followed by Evans scoring courtesy of an error that allowed St. Clair to reach first base safely.

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Friday, No. 7 Alabama entered into its second five-game weekend in as many weeks. This time, it is the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga. Bama arrived riding a seven-game winning streak, appearing every bit like the Top 10 team it is. The first games pitted the Crimson Tide against Maryland, then taking on Iowa in the second half of the doubleheader.

GAME ONE: Alabama 4, Maryland 1

Bama had a good series advantage versus the Terrapins, going 6-1 all-time and beating Maryland 7-0 the last time the teams met in 2005. This UMD team managed to hold off the Tide for most of the game, but Alabama came up big when it counted.

Charlotte Morgan took over pitching duties, getting two quick strikeouts and dispatching the Terps in the first. Alabama left one on base in the bottom of the inning, then Maryland came back up in the second. Pitcher Kerry Hickey knocked a single to right field to start things off, moving to second on a sacrifice bunt. Rightfielder Michelle Takeda followed that with another single, putting runners on the corners. Second baseman Marisha Branson reached on an error, but Takeda was tagged out at second. Another fielding error, this time a passed ball, allowed Hickey to score for what turned out to be Maryland's only run of the game.

Alabama couldn't get the offense going until the fifth, when two walks spelled a temporary end to Hickey's time in the circle. She was replaced by Kendra Knight, who had her own problems. Rightfielder Cassie Reilly-Boccia walked, loading the bases for Morgan, who reached on a fielder's choice as centerfielder Jennifer Fenton was tagged out at home. With two outs, shortstop Whitney Larsen came to the plate and -- surprise -- walks to scoring second baseman Kayla Braud. A wild pitch gave Reilly-Boccia the opportunity to score and Hickey came back on for Knight, who got the third out.

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UAB softball coach Marla Townsend mentioned in a story before the Blazers' face-off against Alabama that it was great that the Crimson Tide would be playing in UAB's inaugural game in the new softball stadium. After all, as the coach noted, UAB was the first opponent Bama faced when the Tide opened up its softball complex. That game was a good win for Alabama. Would Tuesday's game be the same?

UA didn't cut corners, putting ace pitcher Kelsi Dunne in the circle. After Bama left three runners on base in the top of the first, she took the field and shut down the Blazers' first chance to score some runs, striking out two. In the second inning, UAB defensive miscues gave the Tide all it needed. Third baseman Courtney Conley walked to lead off, and moved on to second on an illegal pitch. The next batter, catcher Kendall Dawson, also walked. The subsequent single from centerfielder Jennifer Fenton scored Conley as an unearned run via a throwing error by the Blazers, Bama's only run of the inning.

Dunne came back up and was masterful, throwing three consecutive strikeouts. Alabama couldn't get anything going in the top of the third, but UAB proved it would be no pushover. With two outs, centerfielder Martina Landrum singled, followed by a walk given to leftfielder Caley Walden. In earlier posts, I said that when Dunne makes mistakes -- which she rarely does -- they're big. Yet another exhibit for the prosecution: After Walden walked, third baseman Cameron Skates sent a home run over the left field fence to put the Blazers up 3-1. None of the runs were earned, though, so Dunne still has a nasty (in a good way) ERA.

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Tuesday, Alabama travels the 45 minutes up to Birmingham for another one-off this season, this time against the UAB Blazers. There are a number of people who frequent this site, ourselves included, who do not like to see the Tide and the Blazers face off. It's a love for both universities that was borne from a time in which one would cheer for UAB basketball and Alabama football. But, as both teams have upgraded other sports, no one should be surprised by Bama and UAB running into each other on an annual basis.

As of right now, UAB is sporting a 5-3 record, though winning the last three consecutive games. Here's what the Blazers have accomplished so far this season: An opening win in the Mississippi State Bulldog Classic on Feb. 13, 5-1 over Stephen F. Austin. They followed that with a lost to host team MSU, 4-0. The pattern replayed itself the next day, with another win over SFA and another loss to the Bulldogs.

A doubleheader against Lipscomb was postponed, no doubt because of inclimate conditions in Tennessee. UAB returned to the field in the South Alabama invitational, losing to Northwestern State 3-2, before going on a run to beat Nicholls State revenge against Northwestern State and taking out South Alabama in the final game. That brings us to present day.

At the outset of the season, Blazer infielder Catherine Douglass and outfielder Martina Landrum were named to the C-USA preseason all-conference team. Last season, UAB took out Memphis in the C-USA tournament play-in game, but lost to top-seeded Tulsa in the next game, which brought an end to UAB's season. The Blazers ended the year 21-34 and 11-12 at home.

The game starts at 6:30 p.m. Central at the UAB softball facility.

As has been said often on this site, real life rudely intruded on Sunday and Monday, even though I work from home (freelance writing knows no clock-out time), so sorry about the lateness of the recap. Bama seems to really have it going.

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Alabama 7, Ohio State 1

Alabama (7-2) went into Sunday's Hatter Invitational championship game against Ohio State (6-4) on quite a run. After losing to Missouri in the opening series of the year, the Crimson Tide hadn't looked back, winning its next five games, including two versus the Buckeyes. The final game gave OSU a chance to hit hit back, but it wasn't to be. Bama was just too tough.

Charlotte Morgan started the game in the circle for the Tide, forcing two ground-outs and striking out one while allowing one hit, making short work of the leadoff hitters. Alabama wasn't so charitable. Second baseman Kayla Braud singled to first, then took second on a wild pitch. Rightfielder Cassie Reilly-Boccia kept in going with a single on her own before stealing second. No doubt, this was looking good to the Bama faithful. With no outs, the Tide had runners on second and third with the three-spot hitter -- Morgan -- standing in the batter's box. Surprisingly, OSU pitcher Lindsay Bodeker intentionally walked Morgan to load the bases.

Shortstop Whitney Larsen took a cut, and reached on a fielder's choice. Braud was tagged out at home, still leaving the bases loaded but with one out. Leftfielder Jazlyn Lunceford came through, though she grounded out. It allowed Reilly-Boccia to score, and left runners on second and third. Next thing you know, first baseman Alex Blewitt walked to first, loading the bases again. The second run of the inning came when third baseman Courtney Conley reached first on an error, and Morgan scored a unearned run. Quickly as you please, Bama was up by two.

The Buckeye second inning was much like the first -- a single, a strikeout and two ground outs. How about two more runs for Alabama? That's exactly what happened. With one out, Braud singled and stole second. Reilly-Boccia walked, and Morgan reached on a fielder's choice that didn't provide an out. So, yet again, the bases were loaded. Larsen was next up, and she claimed first base on an error, which scored Braud. Amazingly, Lunceford grounded out again, but that led to another run, again by Reilly-Boccia.

Two innings down, and Alabama was up 4-0. Considering the first two games against OSU were tight affairs, the cards seemed to be coming down on the right side.

In the third inning, Bama's pitching and general defense got the teeth of Ohio State offense, which finally decided to get it together. Centerfielder Dee Dee Hillman took first on a one-out single, and subsequently stole second base. Catcher Sam Marder then drove in the only score for the Buckeyes in the game, driving home Hillman on a single.It could have gotten worse, but the Tide locked it down, and that one run constituted OSU's only run of the game. With one out, Kelsi Dunne came in to spell Morgan, who moved over to first base. She struck out the next two batters to end the inning,

In the fourth, Braud took first base on a bunt, and moved on to second on an error. A double by Reilly-Boccia to centerfield drove in Braud. Keima Davis came on to pinch run for Braud, and claimed third on a fly-out. She then notched another run for Bama following a bunt by Larsen. Alabama's last run came in the sixth, when Conley hit an RBI single that scored Lisa Elizondo, who came in to pinch run for Blewitt.

From all observations, this invitational was exactly what Alabama needed. Five wins, plus the one-off versus South Alabama, has shown the team and its fans that Crimson Tide softball is ready to roll in 2010. It should be a fun regular season.

Alex Gilbert/UA Athletics

Maybe it was the inclusion of younger players in the lineup. Maybe it was because Alabama (6-2) was playing its fourth game in two days. But, Stetson (3-4) did all it could do to stop the Crimson Tide from scoring. Fortunately for Bama, it did an even better job, limiting the Hatters to one hit. Next stop is the championship game on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. Central.

GAME FOUR: Alabama 1, Stetson 0

Easy enough, right? Just roll in, beat an Atlantic Sun team and move on to the Hatter Invitational champaionship. After all, beating Ohio State twice proved that the Tide is on track. Right?

Not so much. As the bromide goes, that's why they play the game.

Through the first four innings, nobody could do anything. The Tide got two hits in the first, took a walk in the second, notched a hit in the third and put two on base in the fourth by a walk and a fielder's choice, but couldn't manage to drive any of them home.

It was even worse for Stetson. Alabama pitcher Lauren Sewell had a perfect game through three innings. The announcer for WVUA-FM said something about it, then made a joke about jinxing Sewell. Don't want to blame him, but right after he said that, she walked Hatter centerfielder Amy Joyce. Perfect game, gone. But, the no-hitter was still in effect -- until the next batter. Shortstop Chelsey Trotto singled down the leftfield line to break up the no-hitter and give Stetson two runners on base with no outs. Never fear, however, as Sewell struck out the next two batters and Trotto was tagged out on a fielder's choice.

Maybe motivated by that scare, the Tide got it going in the top of the fifth, with catcher Olivia Gibson singling on a bunt, and pinch runner Cat Dozier advancing to second on a sacrifice bunt by second baseman Jackey Branham. Designated player Kayla Braud came up with two outs, and drove the ball through the middle of the infield, scoring Dozier for the only, and game-winning, run of the game.

From the way it looks to us, if Stetson beats Rhode Island this evening, which is fairly likely, the Hatters and Ohio State will finish 2-2 in the Invitational (Alabama 4-0, Rhode Island 0-4). But since the Buckeyes won the only meeting between the teams, a 10-4 affair Friday night, it would make sense that the Tide will square off against OSU one last time this weekend.

It finally feels like Spring in the South, and No. 8 Alabama (5-2) looks like it is finally getting into the groove. As expected, the game against No. 14 Ohio State (5-3) was not a walk in the park. It was tough. It was rough. It was what was expected going into the second game of the Hatter Invitational versus a team that matches up perfectly to give the Crimson Tide fits. Fortunately, the early game on Saturday finished with the right result.

GAME THREE: Alabama 5, Ohio State 4

Charlotte Morgan, the all-everything player for Bama, was the starting pitcher against the Buckeyes on Saturday, facing off against Melanie Nichols, who Alabama saw for a short time at the close of Friday's win against OSU. Both pitchers gave it their all, which meant that the batters had to bring it.

Neither team could do anything in the first inning, and Morgan was able to keep the Buckeyes off the board in the second. Bama struck first, however. With two outs, third baseman Courtney Conley reached first on an error and then moved on to second. Second baseman Kayla Braud followed that up with a single to left, and gave the Tide its first lead of the game. However, there's something about Ohio State that jacks its players up to make a quick comeback.

It happened on Friday, and it happened again today. Immediately after Alabama took a 1-0 lead, OSU came back and scored three in the top of the third. Leftfielder Vanessa Spears singled with one out, as did centerfielder Dee Dee Hillman. Catcher Sam Marder, once again proving herself as one of the best hitters for Ohio State, singled and advanced to second, sending in Spears to tie the game. Katie Simonton came on to run for Marder, and scored along with Hillman when an error allowed designated player Courtney Pruner to make it to second base.

But, oh, turnabout is fair play, mädchen. The action kicked off when rightfielder Cassie Reilly-Boccia singled and took third when Morgan hit a double to right-centerfield. One out, runners on second and third. The plate was set, as it were. Shortstop Whitney Larsen followed that up with a single and notched an RBI, putting Morgan on third. With runners on the corners, designated player Alex Blewitt scored Morgan while reaching on a fielder's choice, as Larsen was tagged out at second. That did it for the Tide, and the fourth inning gave the Buckeyes another chance to hit back.

Which they did.

With two outs and a runner on first, it could have been OK, but it never is. After Spears lined out, Hillman doubled to right, which sent rightfielder Leah Ledford across the plate to break the deadlock. Bama could not answer in the bottom of the inning, getting one hit on a bunt by Conley, but not much else. Fortunately, Ohio State couldn't do anything in the fifth, when Kelsi Dunne subbed Morgan, so that allowed Alabama a chance to wake up its bats and rally. And the Tide did rally.

Reilly-Boccia wasted no time by nailing a home run to right field, tying the game again. At that point, Megan Miller came on in relief for Nichols. She subsequently gave up two walks, but got her first out when Blewitt reached on a fielder's choice and Morgan was called out at third. After a wild pitch, Blewitt moved on to second and Larsen set up at third base. UA coach Patrick Murphy started getting his late-game strategy going, pinch running Cat Dozier for Blewitt. A fielder's choice ended up killing Larsen's chances to score, and OSU brought on Lindsay Bodeker to finish the game. It didn't stop the game-winning hit. Yet again, leftfielder Jazlyn Lunceford won the day, knocking a single through the infield that drove in Dozier to make the difference. Somebody build Lunceford a bronze statue -- she's clutch like Robert Horry.

Alabama plays again versus host team Stetson at 3 p.m. Central.

Granted, it's now tomorrow, but when two teams combine for 20 runs, you end up typing away for four hours. Still, Friday was a good day. Let's get into the second half of the doubleheader.

After Alabama gave a thorough thrashing to Rhode Island in the first half of Friday's doubleheader in the Hatter Invitational, the Crimson Tide had a short time to rest, refocus and get ready to take on No. 14 Ohio State. The Buckeyes, entering the game at 4-1, were not to be overlooked. If Bama learned anything from the opening season series with Missouri, this was the time to show it. And, the Tide did.

GAME TWO: Alabama 5, Ohio State 3

For those who were fans of "Chappelle's Show," let's posit this: Ohio State and the Wu-Tang Clan have something in common. Just so you know, this gentleman curses like a sailor, so if you don't get the reference, the video clip is out on the Internet somewhere. Regardless, the point being, Bama couldn't just sit back, make contact and expect to win because of miscues by the opposition. The Tide had to come out focused and ready to take on one of the nation's best.

Indeed, that happened.

Tide coach Patrick Murphy is not a foolish person, and he made sure to hold star pitcher Kelsi Dunne for the tussle with OSU. She was in the circle at the outset of the game, as Alabama was the nominal home team. Dunne and the Bama defense locked it down quickly, with a Buckeye flying out, one popping out, one striking out and one player walking. Of course the Tide didn't do much better in the bottom of the first inning. The squads went into the second with no runs, hits or errors.

That took a turn in the second. So far this season, it seems like that when Dunne makes a mistake, she makes it big. It's my experience that coaches don't mind a player being aggressive and successful 90 percent of the time. The remaining 10 percent that doesn't work out is just the price of admission. With that in mind, OSU second baseman Whitney Cooper led off the second inning with a solo home run, putting the Buckeyes in the lead for the first time. Bama ended up getting out of the inning by forcing a couple groundouts and a strikeout. Both teams went 1-2-3 in the third before things got interesting again in the fourth.

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Because of the absurd amount of scoring in the first half of Friday's doubleheader, the game versus Ohio State will be covered in a subsequent post. Enjoy!

There was presumably no barking from the dog, and no smog, in Deland, Fla. on Friday morning as Alabama won its first doubleheader in the Hatter Invitational at Stetson University. The good news that can be taken out of the games is what was expected, happened. That's not to say everything was perfect -- is ever without a problem here or there. But at the end, you want the score to be in the right direction, and that's how the day came to a close.

GAME ONE: Alabama 17, Rhode Island 3 (5)

It would be nice to say that Alex Blewitt scored two touchdowns and Cassie Reilly-Boccia added a field goal, but until we finally get women's football as an NCAA-sanctioned sport, interesting scorelines will have to do.

The Rams were not prepared, not ready and simply could not keep up with the Crimson Tide. Maybe if Rhode Island had a few more games before arriving in the invitational, the game could have been more competitive. As it was, Bama took apart URI.

Eight out of the 12 Tide players who stepped to the plate registered a hit, and six of those players had multiple hits. First baseman Reilly-Boccia and third baseman Blewitt each had three. There were three home runs, and Blewitt led the team with six RBI. That's the good news.

The bad news, as much as it is, is that the Tide committed four errors and gave up runs to the Rams in consecutive innings. Each run scored was unearned, contributed to by errors. So, Amanda Locke, who went three innings, giving up four hits, one walk and striking out two, had a 0.00 ERA. Statistics, eh?

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If it's the early part of the season, that means invitationals galore. This weekend, Alabama softball will be participating at the Hatter Invitational at Stetson University in Deland, Fla. On Friday, the Crimson Tide have an early slate, playing Rhode Island at 10 a.m. Central and Ohio State at 12:30 p.m. Central.

RHODE ISLAND RAMS

The team from the Atlantic-10 with the pale blue and white unis come into this tournament trying to turn things around after a sub-par showing last season. The game against Alabama will be Rhode Island's first since losing to LaSalle to close out a 14-37 year. It was Coach Erin Layton's first in Kingston, and she'll no doubt be taking pains to get the team back up to par this year.

Unfortunately for the Rams, there's not much tradition to draw from, or recent success. The program started up in 1978, hasn't been to the NCAA Tournament in 27 years and does not have a tourney win. The good news for Rhody is that it's bringing back four of its top six sluggers from last season, and its most successful pitcher from 2009 will also suit up for the 2010 campaign. Sophomore shortstop Courtney Prendergastt led all batters in '09, hitting .289, starting in 40 of 44 games played. She tallied up 33 hits, three home runs and 15 RBI.

Pitcher Alison Hartzell was the arm the Rams leaned on most in 2009, tallying 126.2 innings pitched, leading the team with a 3.09 ERA and sporting a 10-10 record. It would be easy to say Alabama will destroy Rhode Island, but as we've already seen this season, you should assume nothing about the Tide, except that it has the talent to win it all and the youth to not get there. For what it's worth, Hartzell and Prendergastt were freshmen last year. So was Brittany Julich, who was second only to Prendergastt in batting average. Bama should win this game, but you shouldn't count out the Rams.

No. 14 OHIO STATE BUCKEYES

The Crimson Tide gets the Buckeyes Friday, but also at 10 a.m. on Saturday. In stark contrast to Rhode Island, OSU is ranked in the Top 15 and is 4-1 so far this season. The Buckeyes dropped their opening game to Houston, 1-0, at the Houston Hobby Classic. Following that, Ohio State finished the Classic by taking out Sam Houston by 6-0, beating Baylor 4-3, shutting out Louisville 2-0 and knocking off Kansas 4-2. With the exception of the Same Houston game, the Buckeyes haven't exactly blown out the lights on the scoreboard, but their pitching is damn good.

The team has a collective 0.79 ERA over the first five games. OSU opponents have a combined 4.09 ERA over the same period. Those are some truly sobering numbers. Three players sport a .500 batting average -- catcher Sam Marder (5-for-10), outfielder Leah Ledford (4-for-8) and pitcher/outfielder Karissa Medrano (2-for-4). Very roughly, over five games, Ohio State is averaging a win of 4-1. Not too shabby. It's been about four years since these teams last saw each other. Then -- March 3, 2006, the Buckeyes beat Alabama 3-1 in the Hampton Inn Crimson Classic (by the way, we totally endorse the Tuscaloosa Hampton Inn -- it ain't bad).

Also, OSU isn't exactly expecting the Rust Belt to produce championship-level players. Ohio State has 10 players from California on its roster, seven players from Ohio and one each from New Mexico and Indiana. Last year, the Buckeyes went 47-11, taking second place in the Big Ten and making it to a Super Regional for the first time in the program's history. This looks like a program on the rise, and Bama will get its money's worth from those group of poisonous nuts.

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For all appearances, Friday's going to give the Tide a night-and-day showing, as far as talent, potential and success are concerned. Hopefully, Bama won't come out slow against Rhode Island, and will exit the dugout guns blazing versus Ohio State.

Roll Tide.

If you had any expectations that the 2010 vintage of Alabama softball would be like the past couple years, Tuesday may have gone a long way to changing those hopes. This is a young team, and plays like a young team. Yes, South Alabama has talent and can hang with the best, but this was out of control.

"We know what a good program this is," USA coach Becky Clark said to The Press-Register. "You want to play the best, and you want to beat the best. That's why we're here. So it's very disappointing to get that close and not be able to finish it."

For the first three and a half innings, the game was deadlocked at 0-0. That simply would not have happened with last season's Crimson Tide squad. Not against a team like South Alabama. But this is a different year and a different Alabama.

As we talked about mid-game, the Tide has incredible pitching. Really, Bama kicks ass in the circle. The bats, though, they are as cold as the air temperature. Fortunately, in the bottom of the fourth inning, there was a change for the better. Catcher Kendall Dawson singled, and was pinch run by Jennifer Fenton, who stole second. It ended up not mattering -- third baseman Alex Blewitt rocketed a ball over the left field wall to put Alabama up 2-0.

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Hey guys -- simple but easy here. I'll try to do this for each game, but you never know what other crap will pop up during the season. Anyway, I'll be trying my best to tweet as many softball games as I can (though my S.C. tweeps will prolly hate my ass). So, if you'd like to follow, just look for @WolfeReports. Thanks. Also, I'll probably forget every once in a while, but I'll be using the hashtag #bamasoftball. If we all use the same hashtag, it'll be easier to follow Twitter coverage.

Alabama softball gets a one-off against South Alabama in Tuscaloosa on Tuesday. The in-state matchup provides an opportunity for the Crimson Tide to bounce back from a Sunday throttling by Missouri, and a chance to regain some confidence.

The Jaguars (Hey -- remember when UAB and USA were huge rivals in the Sun Belt in men's basketball? No? Eh.) roll into town with a 2-1 record from the Mardi Gras Invitational in Mobile. The games were slightly delayed because of the snow, but when the teams hit the field again, South Alabama took its first game against Central Arkansas, 6-4. The Jags beat Lipscomb early Sunday afternoon, then lost to Samford in the late game, 11-2.

To give a quick rundown on the program, USA softball is in its fourth season of existence. Coming into this season, the Jags had an overall record of 85-82-1, and posted a 27-28-1 mark last season, finishing 10-12 for sixth place in the Sun Belt. Coach Becky Clark, an alumna of the University of Mobile, helped establish the program after buiding a winner at Mobile. In her final season there, she led the team to a fourth-place finish in the NAIA Tournament.

Before the season, Sun Belt coaches selected South Alabama to take seventh place in the nine-team league, ahead of UL-Monroe and Middle Tennessee. UL-Lafayette is expected to take home the conference crown, and last year was the strongest team in the SBC. However, the Jaguars did take one from the Ragin' Cajuns in an upset in 2009, so this young program is able to produce some surprises. UL-Lafayette predictably filled the preseason all-conference team and player-of-the-year selections, while USA was shut out. But, that's preseason and this is the real thing.

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It's hard to necessarily call it a stumble out of the game, but Alabama softball (1-2) dropped two of its three games against the visiting No. 9 Missouri Tigers (2-1). No matter the level of the competition, the Crimson Tide only lost once at home last season. Coach Patrick Murphy has mentioned that this is a different sort of team than the last ones -- it's more reliant on younger players moving on up. In that way, a close loss, a blowout win and a blowout loss could actually be considered a good showing. In any sport, having talented but young players, and immediately going into a tough game, can be a crapshoot.

What's more important here is that the players got experience without completely collapsing. So, that's essentially what ge got out of the series -- taking one of three against one of the best teams in the country. Hopefully, this year's lineup can look at mistakes they made, examine on what worked well and play like a team that deserves to be in the Women's College World Series championship. Game-by-game breakdown after the jump.

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Welcome to softball season, boys and girls. After an unusual snowstorm, no less. A lot of places across the South, a lot of high school teams, postponed games because of Snowtorious B.I.G. That's not true with Alabama athletics, which are going on as planned. That's why Tide softball will still take the field at 1 p.m. today against the No. 9 Missouri Tigers.

Bama is 3-2 all-time against the Tigers, with the last wins coming in the 2008 Tuscaloosa Super Regional. You have to go back to 2005 for Missouri's last win against the Tide. That's understandable, since the team's last appearance in the Women's College World Series before last season was 1994. To put that in context: Tom Foley was Speaker of the House, Jay Barker and Sherman Williams started for Alabama football, and I was in sixth grade.

Entering the Series unranked, Missouri exited early, losing to Arizona State 7-3 and Georgia 5-2. The Tigers were good enough, however, to play host and win their regional and take out UCLA in the super regional. The resurgence of the Missouri program last year was aided by two players: outfielder Rhea Taylor and pitcher Chelsea Thomas. Taylor, a Georgia native, hit .404 last year and led the Big XII in stolen bases. Thomas is considered one of the best in the country at her position, putting up a 1.65 earned run average in 2009.

Of course, Tide pitcher Kelsi Dunne had a 1.63 ERA and Charlotte Morgan posted a 1.80 ERA, so Alabama compares well with the best of what the black and gold have to offer. Last season, Bama only lost one game at home, so if you make your way to the softball complex this afternoon, your expectations of a win should be pretty good.

In all, 15 players return this season for Mizzou, including six starters and three pitchers. The Tigers are slated to be second in the Big XII this year, behind Oklahoma.

Hello, kids. My name is Wes, and I'll be your softball sherpa this season. I covered softball while being the sports editor at The Gamecock at South Carolina, and covered a 4A state champion in Texas (along with a 1A playoff contender). I also followed three softball teams in Virginia in 2007. I enjoy softball, not the least of which is because I've dated a number of former high school softballers. They tend to be competitive, awesome, quite attractive and can beat your ass if they so choose. Fun and games.

Some of you might remember me from Journalism is for Rockstars, a blog I ran under the pseudonym "Newspaper Hack" from 2005 to 2007. After ending my journalism career in Virginia and moving back to South Carolina, I started a blog called, Columbia: A Sunny Place for Shady People, under the pseudonym "Harden Gervais." Following that, I did a blog on South Carolina politics called, Vierdsonian Democracy under the name "John Vierdsen." In January of 2009, I started up an S.C. politics blog, called Wolfe Reports, under my real name. I did a lot of college football coverage during the fall, though, because like all Tide fans, I have the sickness.

So, let's get into it, shall we?

This season, Alabama is set up to make another run at the national championship. Granted, the only teams to win it all for the university are the football and gymnastics teams, and most Tide fans would like the full athletics program to dominate. Bama softball is on that pace. Last year, the Crimson Tide finished No. 3. For 2010, Alabama is the consensus No. 2, behind defending champion Washington. We'd rather not make silly comparisons, but it's hard. Last year, Alabama shocked a lot of teams and pitcher Kelsi Dunne threw two no-hitters to get Bama past Jacksonville State and into the Women's College World Series. Still, Alabama didn't have enough to take home the championship, reminding me of the 2008 football team. Very good, but just not good enough.

This could be the year for Bama to get over and secure the big win. SEC coaches are thinking in a similar vein. Six of 11 coaches picked the Tide to win the conference this year, and elected utility/designated player Charlotte Morgan as a unanimous selection to the preseason All-SEC team. Morgan may well be the best senior softball player in the country. Wednesday, the National Pro Fastpitch draft was held, and she was selected as the No. 1 overall pick. This says a lot about Alabama softball. Morgan is from the West Coast, twinned with Texas as hotbeds of softball talent. If the Tide can keep recruiting players like her from such talent-rich areas, the team will have consistently spectacular runs.

This season, Alabama faces some solid challenges. This weekend, Missouri, a preseason Top 10 team, comes to town to start off the season. And, let's not forget Florida, Georgia, LSU and Tennessee are also considered among the nation's best. The SEC is stacked, and whoever comes out of the conference -- like in football -- will be set up well to play for a chance to win the 2010 national championship.