TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Alabama softball took the opening game of Saturday's doubleheader against Auburn, 6-1, before dropping the second game, 5-1, as the series is even heading into Sunday's finale.

In game one, Alabama (34-14, 10-7 SEC) got on the board first against Auburn (34-14, 10-7 SEC) with a first-inning RBI double from Ally Shipman and she later made it a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning with a solo home run. A three-run fifth inning for Alabama stretched the lead to 5-0 but the Tigers erased the shutout in the top of the sixth with a solo home run. The Tide got a run back in the bottom half with an RBI groundout to make it 6-1, which ultimately proved final.

In game two, what looked to be an inning-ending double play in the top of the first was challenged and overturned as the Auburn batter was called safe at first with two out. A fielding error put two on base and then Denver Bryant cleared the bases with a three-run home run. A Kenleigh Cahalan RBI single in the bottom of the first made it 3-1 before a sac fly RBI in the next half-inning stretched the Tigers' lead back to three runs. A solo home run to lead off the top of the sixth made it a four-run game which proved enough as the Tide left a runner on in the final two innings, unable to cut into the 5-1 deficit.

Shipman was 3-for-3 in game one, her second-straight three hit game and her ninth multi-hit game of the season. Bailey Dowling and Cahalan had a hit in each game, with Dowling extending her current reached-base streak to a season-best eight games. Montana Fouts (19-7) earned the complete-game win in game one, which served as her senior day celebration.

From Head Coach Patrick Murphy

"We can't control the weather and yesterday obviously was a bad day for softball, but today it was perfect. It was almost was a blessing in disguise to get to play two today and not have to fight through the rain and lightning last night. The whole celebration before the game for Montana [Fouts] was perfect. The video with the little girls and how much they wanted to be like her was special. That's what we've seen the past five years. Game one was a good game overall, I thought our hitting was really good and it was contagious. In the second game, we really helped them out with four unearned runs. The solo home run was the only earned run on the box score. You can't just give a good team five outs in an inning like we did in the first."

From Montana Fouts

"I'm extremely grateful every day for this place. Having my family down here, it just added another type of motivation. They had that really cool video for me with the little kids that made me tear up a bit, but I felt that it was more motivating than sad. I'm really grateful just to love something so much."

Highlights

• Alabama is now 52-23 all-time vs. Auburn, including a 27-9 mark in Tuscaloosa
• The Crimson Tide has now won five of its six SEC series openers this season
• Alabama is 27-7 this season when scoring first and 15-4 when scoring in the first inning
• Bailey Dowling extended her reached base streak to a season-best eight games
• Game one was Ally Shipman's second straight three-hit game, her fourth straight with a hit and her ninth multi-hit game of the season
• The game one win was the 93rd of Fouts' career, now just four away from fourth-place Stephanie VanBrakle (2003-06) in the Alabama record books
• With seven strikeouts, Fouts improves her career total to 1,109 Ks, four away from VanBrakle in second place with 1,113

Game One Scoring Summary (Alabama 6, Auburn 1)

• B1 | Back-to-back doubles from Jenna Johnson and Ally Shipman got the Tide on the board (1-0, 1 Out)
• B4 | Shipman led off the half-inning with a solo home run to left (2-0, 0 Out)
• B5 | Ashley Prange banged an RBI double off the wall in center field (3-0, 1 Out)
• B5 | Shipman's third hit of the day drove in Faith Hensley from second (4-0, 2 Out)
• B5 | Shipman came home from second on an RBI single from Bailey Dowling (5-0, 2 Out)
• T6 | Auburn erased the shutout with a solo home run (5-1, 0 Out)
• B6 | An RBI groundout stretched Alabama's lead back to five (6-1, 1 Out)

Game Two Scoring Summary (Auburn 5, Alabama 1)

• T1 | Auburn capitalized on an overturned call and a two-out error, blasting a three-run home run (0-3, 2 Out)
• B1 | Kenleigh Cahalan sent a two-out RBI single up the middle (1-3, 2 Out)
• T2 | A sac fly RBI stretched the Tigers' lead back to three (1-4, 1 Out)
• T6 | A solo home run added to Auburn's lead (1-5, 0 Out)

Up Next: vs. Auburn

• (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) Sunday, April 23 - 11:30 a.m. CT - ESPN