Preview: Alabama Softball Hosts #6 Louisiana

Alabama will have the chance to redeem itself this weekend following the Easton Bama Bash when they host #6 Louisiana. Alabama posted a 2-2 record last weekend, winning games against James Madison and Lipscomb, but losing both matchups against #5 Michigan.

Leslie Jury had a poor showing on Friday night against the Wolverines, giving up eight runs on 11 hits in seven innings. Despite this, she recorded the final out of the game against James Madison on Saturday, in relief of Sidney Littlejohn, to secure the 6-4 win. Alexis Osorio pitched on Sunday against Lipscomb, giving up one run on two hits in a 6-1 win. Osorio also pitched on Friday against Michigan, giving up four runs on five hits in a 4-1 loss.

Perhaps the biggest problem against Michigan was the hitting, as the Alabama bats only scored three runs on eleven hits in two matchups. Alabama had 10 hits against James Madison on Saturday alone, so credit the Michigan pitching staff for a great performance.

The Crimson Tide missed a great opportunity to beat a top-ranked team last weekend, but they'll have the chance to get back on track when the red-hot Ragin' Cajuns come to Tuscaloosa. Louisiana has been nearly perfect this year, arriving with a 14-0 record and only giving up seven combined runs in those games.

It'll be interesting to see how Alabama responds to the challenge this weekend. This is a great opportunity to find out where the team stands on the national level, and it would likely be a disappointment to drop this series at home. Alabama plays Louisiana in the first game of a three game series on Friday night at 6:30 in Rhoads Stadium.