OKLAHOMA CITY — For the second consecutive game, Alabama found itself up 2-0 in the seventh inning with runners on base threatening to score.Just as it did against Kentucky, the Crimson Tide and senior right-hander Jaclyn Traina came out with the 2-0 shutout.
This time, No. 2 Alabama was facing top-ranked Oregon for a spot in the Women’s College World Series Championship Series.
With that 2-0 lead in the top of the seventh, Traina gave up a leadoff single before retiring the next two batters. After another single put runners at first and second, Traina came through again. She recorded her eighth strikeout of the night to send Alabama to the WCWS Championship Series.
“I mean, it always feels familiar,” Traina said. “I feel like it’s always like that. So I just pulled from those different times that I have been in those situations, and I know I can trust my defense which makes it a lot easier. I know that they’re behind me so I didn’t have any doubt.”
Traina (26-3) pitched seven innings, giving up four hits. She threw 96 pitches and issued zero walks in the shutout win.
“Just a really good team, and again for Jaclyn to shut out that offense is just incredible so you’ve got to tip your hat to Jac and our defense,” Alabama coach Patrick Murphy said.
The game was scoreless until the bottom of the fifth. Sophomore Haylie McCleney went up against Oregon ace Cheridan Hawkins in a lefty-lefty matchup. McCleney put the ball over right-field wall to put Alabama up 1-0.
“The at-bat, she started out with two pitches outside, and then she came in the third pitch,” McCleney said. “Just trust in my swing, trust in the preparation we’ve put in to face Hawkins who is a phenomenal pitcher.”
With two outs in the bottom of the fifth, senior second baseman Kaila Hunt walked, bringing senior catcher Molly Fichtner up to bat. Fichtner singled with a full count and brought in Hunt from first who escaped the tag at home.
“The catcher started to come across the plate so I just tried to go to the inside and it was kind of awkward because I usually go to the outside part of the plate,” Hunt said. “I don’t know. I haven’t seen the replay, but it felt pretty awkward.”
The Crimson Tide had nine hits on the game. Three players had two-hit games. McCleney went 2-for-4 with a single and the home run. Junior right fielder Jadyn Spencer went 2-for-3 with two singles. Traina also went 2-for-3 with two singles.
Alabama (53-11) will face Southeastern Conference rival No. 5 Florida (53-12) in a best-of-three series. In the WCWS, Florida leads all teams in batting average (.321). Alabama is third (.264) but leads in pitching, with Traina earning a 0.33 ERA in the three games she pitched. Both teams are 3-0 in Oklahoma City.
“They’re a great team, and we saw them once this year, and you know, we’re just going to go into it like any other team,” Traina said. “They’re good. They’re very good, and we just have to make quick adjustments during the game and play Alabama softball.”
Earlier in the season, Alabama took two games of a three games series at Florida. Murphy said that both teams’ lineups look different than they did when the two teams faced each other near the end of March.
“They’re a really good team,” Murphy said. “I think it’s a very respectful rivalry. Everybody up here and everybody on our team, I think, respect the heck out of them. I don’t think it’s a nasty rivalry at all.” The first game of the series is scheduled for Monday at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN.
