Alabama enters week six with a 22-4 record after falling in two of three games in Baton Rouge against LSU. Alabama’s win in game two was the first for the team against the Tigers in Baton Rouge since the 2008 SEC Tournament.

Alabama is ranked sixth in both polls this week. The Tide has been ranked sixth or higher in every poll so far this season.

The Tide offense has outscored its opponents 180-58 and has out-hit them 221-137, owning a team average of .328. Seven are hitting above .300 and three are hitting above .400.

All three of Alabama’s pitchers have at least six wins, making Alabama and Florida the only SEC teams to sport three pitchers with at least six wins. As a group, they own a 2.12 ERA with 167 strikeouts over 162.0 innings.

The Alabama defense is one of five in the SEC with a fielding percentage of .970 or higher. The Tide have only committed one error in its last five games.
Alabama has five wins over ranked opponents this season, defeating James Madison, Tennessee, LSU and Arizona twice.

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Alabama vs. Easton Opponents 

1-1 vs. Cal State Fullerton
Current Streak: Alabama 1
First Meeting: Jan. 31, 2003 - L, 4-3
Last Meeting: Jan. 31, 2003 - W, 4-1

1-0 vs. Grand Canyon
Current Streak: Alabama 1
First Meeting: Feb. 14, 2014 - W, 13-5

3-0 vs. New Mexico
Current Streak: Alabama 3
First Meeting: March 28, 1998 - W, 5-0
Last Meeting: Feb. 11, 2014 - W, 9-1 (5)

9-2 vs. DePaul
Current Streak: Alabama 5
First Meeting: Feb. 25, 2000 - W, 6-2
Last Meeting: March 5, 2015 - W, 12-4 (5)

9-4 vs. Oklahoma
Current Streak: Alabama 2
First Meeting: Feb. 15, 1997 - L, 12-0 (6)
Last Meeting: May 23, 2015 - W, 5-3

Alabama vs. LSU Recap

Friday, March 4 - L, 6-2: Alabama fell behind early to LSU after a three-run homer in the first inning. The teams battled back and forth and every time the Crimson Tide would chip away at the lead, the Tigers would answer to pull back away. A two-run homer in the fourth inning ultimately gave LSU the final four-run margin of victory with Alabama going scoreless in each of the last three innings.

Saturday, March 5 - W, 10-3:Alabama softball saw its initial three-run lead erased following a rain delay in the fourth inning, but seven unanswered runs ultimately allowed the Crimson Tide to pull away for a deciding 10-3 victory. The win is the first for Alabama in Baton Rouge against LSU since the 2008 SEC Tournament and it is the first regular season win on the road against the Tigers since March 24, 2007.

Sunday, March 6 - L, 8-1: Alabama softball fell behind early in the series rubber match against LSU on Sunday and a five-run sixth inning by the Tigers gave them enough cushion to secure the win, 8-1, and take the series.

Alabama Takes on Out of Conference Ranked Teams

Oklahoma marks the fifth ranked out-of-conference team Alabama has played so far this season. This is the most ranked out-of-conference teams in the regular season since 2009. It is also tied for the third most in program history.

Ranked Out-of-Conference Opponents During Regular Season

1. 7 - 1999 (8 Games)
2. 6 - 2009 (8 Games), 2003 (8 Games), 2000 (8 Games), 1998 (6 Games)
3. 5 - 2016 (6 Games), 2002 (7 Games)

Individual Notes

Haylie McCleney leads the team with a .472 average (25-53), which is the sixth-highest in the SEC. Her three triples also paces the team, already matching her season total from last year and one shy from her freshman and sophomore totals. Always patient at the plate, she has drawn a team-leading 19 walks, good for a .627 on-base percentage.

After recovering from an ACL injury last season, Peyton Grantham has been a huge source of power in the Crimson Tide lineup. She leads the team with 30 RBIs, five home runs and eight doubles, posting a .686 slugging percentage. Through 24 games, she has already surpassed her freshman RBI and doubles numbers, tied her home run total and has nearly matched her hit total.

Leona Lafaele has reached base safely in the last 17-straight games, a career-best total for the senior. Through 26 starts, she is hitting .380 (27-71) with six doubles, 25 RBIs and 12 walks.

Sydney Booker took advantage of four appearances and three starts last week, hitting .400 to raise her season average to .314. She posted hits in all three games against LSU and scored a run in the game two win. She also made Alabama’s first SportCenter Top 10 appearance of the season, coming in at number five on Saturday night’s list with a great diving catch in foul territory.

Sydney Littlejohn leads the pitching staff with nine wins and a 1.71 ERA over 65.2 innings pitched. Alexis Osorio (7-2, 2.92 ERA) leads the staff in strikeouts with 85 over 60.0 IP, an average of 1.4 per inning. Of her 85 strikeouts, 70 have been swinging.

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