KB Sides delivered big hit for Bama Alabama scored six runs in the second inning, but what looked like it should have been an easy win in the Friday semifinals of the Southeastern Conference Softball Tournament was fraught with tension. The Crimson Tide got a three-run double from sophomore KD Sides and junior Krystal Goodman got the save in relief as Alabama held on to defeat Kentucky, 6-3, to advance to the championship game in College Station on Saturday. Junior Sarah Cornell pitched two outs into the sixth inning and got the win as the SEC Pitcher of the Year improved her record to 21-1. But Cornell needed relief help from Goodman, who came on to retire the Wildcats in the final 1 1/3 innings. On a night when Alabama Coach Patrick Murphy acknowledged that Cornell did not have her best stuff, he said, “Give credit to Krystal. She came in and got the job done. She made some really good pitches to get us out of the sixth inning. The walks hurt her in the seventh, but she pitched out of it.” She walked the first two batters in the top of the seventh but did not give up a run as three times the Wildcats sent the tying run to the plate. Alabama, ranked fourth in the nation, improved its record to 52-6. Kentucky, which had defeated the Crimson Tide in two of three games in Tuscaloosa during regular season play, is now 33-22. Bama will take on No. 11 Florida (43-15) for the SEC Tournament championship at 7 p.m. CDT Saturday. The game will be televised on ESPN2. In regular season play, Alabama – the SEC’s regular-season champion – swept the Gators in three games in Gainesville. Bama is expected to pitch Montana Fouts (15-3), the SEC Freshman of the Year, while the Gators are expected to go with senior Kelly Barnhill (29-11), who picked up her 12th complete game shutout of the season with a 3-0 win over Auburn in Friday’s semifinals. Murphy said, “We have great respect for Florida and their program. And it will be the last time we have to face Kelly Barnhill.” This will be Alabama’s SEC record eighth appearance in the finals as the Tide goes for a record sixth tournament championship in the 23 years of play. It will be Bama’s first appearance in the finals since 2012 in Tuscaloosa when the Tide took a 10-1 win over Florida en route to Bama winning the national championship. The Gators have won two of three SEC Tournament championship final games against Alabama, which has five previous championships – 1998, 2003, 2005, and 2010, in addition to the 2012 title. Against Kentucky, Alabama’s offense was all in the second inning when four walks and four hits – the big one the bases-clearing double by Sides – staked the Tide to a 6-0 lead. “Something we talked about all season really was not letting anyone beat us on our home turf,” said Sides, citing the earlier series loss to Kentucky in Tuscaloosa. “Playing them today was definitely big for us to come out on top. We scored six in the second inning and that set the tone for the whole game.” Sophomore Kaylee Tow singled up the middle to lead off the bottom of the second, the first hit for either team. Sophomore Maddie Morgan drew a walk two batters later before senior Reagan Dykes got an infield hit to load the bases. Junior Claire Jenkins drew a four-pitch walk to move everyone up 60 feet and put the Tide in front 1-0. After a Kentucky pitching change, senior Caroline Hardy, in as a pinch hitter, singled to left to drive in a run. Sides, who was 2-3 on the day, doubled into left-center, clearing the bases. The SEC’s video review policy saved a run for Alabama as pinch runner Elissa Brown was called out at home. The review reversed and made it 5-0. Two batters later Sides scored, beating the throw home on a fielder’s choice. It was 6-0, but that would be it for Alabama. Meanwhile, the Wildcats chipped away with runs in the third, fourth, and sixth before Goodman finally ended it. Cornell allowed seven hits and walked only one with two strikeouts. Goodman did not allow a hit, but walked two, struck out one. Kentucky starter Meghan Schorman lasted only 1 1/3 innings and took the loss. Kentucky’s Abbey Cheek, the SEC Player of the Year, was 0-3 with one walk and one controversial strikeout, a called strike on a ball that appeared to be wide of the plate.<doc-sep>We have our first run-rule game of the Tournament! The Kentucky Wildcats pasted the Ole Miss Rebels 8-0 to win in five innings on Friday morning. With the win, Kentucky is through to the SEC Softball Tournament Semifinals, as they’ll play the Alabama Crimson Tide later Friday night. The Wildcats collected 11 hits in their four innings at the plate. They put up two runs in the 1st inning and then erupted for six in the 3rd inning. Five players collected at least one RBI, with two — Mallory Peyton and SEC Player of the Year Abbey Cheek — picking up two. Cheek’s two-run bomb was one of the biggest blows of the entire game as she went liftoff in the bottom of the 1st inning. The 3rd inning saw the Wildcats put up the aforementioned six spot. The first run was scored on a passed ball, as Sarah Rainwater raced through home plate to give them a run. Then, Peyton delivered a double that drove in two more. Bailey Vick pounced later, singling to drive Peyton in. The, Jenny Schaper singled herself and brought in a run, and lastly Katie Reed scored Vick on a single of her own. Autumn Humes ran into some trouble a few times, but Humes was able to dance her way out of that trouble as well. She finished with four strikeouts and one walk while allowing six hits, none for extra bases. The Wildcats will play the Alabama Crimson Tide later tonight at 7 p.m. ET. That game will be preceded by a matchup between the Auburn Tigers and Florida Gators.<doc-sep>UPDATE: Ole Miss and Mississippi State are scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.m. CT Thursday. UPDATED SEC TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE Wednesday Games Miss. State 3, Texas A&M 2 Florida 6, South Carolina 5 Auburn 3, Missouri 0 Thursday's Games Georgia vs. Arkansas | 10:00 a.m. CT | SEC Network Ole Miss vs. Miss. State | 12:30 p.m. CT | SEC Network Florida vs. LSU | 3 p.m. CT | SEC Network Auburn vs. Tennessee | 5:30 p.m. CT | SEC Network Georgia/Arkansas vs. Alabama | 8 p.m. CT | SEC Network Friday's Games Ole Miss/Miss. State vs. Kentucky | 10 a.m. CT | SEC Network LSU/Florida vs. Tennessee/Auburn | 3:30 p.m. CT | ESPN2 Alabama/Georgia/Arkansas vs. Ole Miss/Miss. State/Kentucky | 6 p.m. CT | ESPN2 Saturday's Game Championship | 7 p.m. CT | ESPN2 As widespread rain wreaks havoc across the South, the schedule of first day of the SEC Softball Tournament in College Station, Texas, has been altered. Ole Miss (36-16, 13-10 SEC) has had its first-round game against Mississippi State (33-20, 9-15 SEC), which was originally scheduled to be played at 8 p.m. CT Wednesday, moved to Thursday. As of this writing, play had resumed in College Station with games between Florida and South Carolina, Missouri and Auburn and Arkansas and Georgia still to be played Wednesday night. No start time has yet to be announced by the SEC for Thursday's Ole Miss/Mississippi State game. That's due in large part to the fact weather remains a threat to push other games scheduled to be played Wednesday night into Thursday. Wednesday's action in College Station was suspended for approximately five hours as heavy rains, thunderstorms and even a reported tornado impacted the area. The weather in College Station is a little more promising on Thursday morning with forecasts calling for only a 30 percent chance of rain and isolated thunderstorms. The chances for rain and more thunderstorms increase in the afternoon hours on Thursday. Check the Ole Miss Spirit for the latest schedule changes and announcements.<doc-sep>
Alabama is playing for a championship on Saturday! The Crimson Tide defeated the Kentucky Wildcats 6-3 on Friday night to earn a berth in the SEC Tournament Title Game. The win assures them a shot at their sixth softball tourney title, as they’ll face off with the Florida Gators in College Station on Saturday night. ‘Bama put up a big ol’ six spot in the 2nd inning to help lift them to victory. KB Sides’ three-RBI double was the biggest of blows, as she cleared the bases with her deft hit to left center. Other runs had been tacked on via a walk by Claire Jenkins, a single by Caroline Hardy and Merris Schroder, who reached on a fielder’s choice. Kentucky had to scrape back, but the game was not without controversy. A pitch dealt to Abbey Cheek was called a strike and resulted in a strikeout of the SEC Player of the Year. The pitch, though, looked to be even with the other batters box, which of course would lead it to being a ball. The call by the ump didn’t change, however, and UK was forced to deal with that bind the rest of the way. They piled on three runs along the way in three of the next four innings, but were ultimately taken down by ‘Bama. The runs were driven in by Jenny Schaper, who hit a single up the middle, and Mallory Peyton who hit a sac fly. Lauren Johnson was also responsible for a run, as she plated one on a single that also went up the middle.