CLEARWATER, Fla. – Alabama softball earned a pair of wins Thursday to open play at the St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational, defeating Liberty 7-1 before posting an 8-0 shutout in five innings over top-ranked Washington.

Seven different players in the Alabama (3-3) starting lineup earned a hit in a balanced 7-1 win over Liberty (1-5) to start the day before the Crimson Tide posted a convincing 8-0 five-inning shutout over top-ranked Washington (6-1) in the nightcap. The win over the Huskies is Alabama's first run-rule shutout over the top-ranked team in the country and its first shutout of No. 1 since the 2017 NCAA Regional round vs. Minnesota.

Tide pitching was stingy in the circle on Thursday, with senior Krystal Goodman (1-0) allowing just one run in the win over the Flames before freshman Lexi Kilfoyl (2-2) held the top-ranked Huskies scoreless on just one hit and two walks with six strikeouts. At the plate, sophomore Skylar Wallace paced the offense with a 4-for-7 day while juniors Kaylee Tow and KB Sides each had three hits, combining to score seven of the Tide's 15 runs. Freshman Abby Doerr made her Crimson Tide debut, blasting a home run against the Flames in her second career at-bat. Senior Bailey Hemphill sent one over the wall against the Huskies, pushing her career total to 49 which sits five shy of fourth-place Amanda Locke (2008-12).

FROM HEAD COACH PATRICK MURPHY

"What a great day for Crimson Tide softball on the biggest stage of the year thus far. Sometimes, a team needs a little more time to gel and come together. We still have a lot to work on. I'm really proud of both Krystal and Lexi for giving us great starts today. It starts in the circle, and they both shined."

HIGHLIGHTS

• vs. Liberty
  • Four of Alabama's seven runs scored came with two outs
  • Seven of the Tide's nine starting hitters earned a hit, and five scored at least one run
  • Goodman's complete game is her first since game three of the LSU series on May 5, 2019
  • Doerr made her Crimson Tide debut, smashing a two-run home run in her second at-bat
• vs. Washington
  • The win marks Alabama's first run-rule shutout over the No. 1 team in the country, and its first shutout over a top-ranked team since blanking Minnesota in the 2017 NCAA Regional round when the Gophers led the NFCA poll
  • Kilfoyl retired the first 11 batters she faced until a two-out walk in the fourth inning broke up her perfect game and a single in the next at-bat ended the no-hit bid
  • Eight of Alabama's starters reached base at least once, including multi-hit performances from Tow, Wallace and Sides
  • Hemphill, Sides and Kilfoyl each drove in two RBIs