Alabama softball ace Jocelyn Briski outduels AUSL-bound Maya Johnson
Alabama softball defeated Belmont 3-0 in the Tuscaloosa Regional, with Jocelyn Briski outdueling Maya Johnson despite plenty of pre-game chirp.
If you like a Cinderella story, you may not have enjoyed Saturday afternoon at Rhoads Stadium . In its second straight shutout, Alabama softball (51-7) earned a 3-0 win over Belmont (41-12) on Saturday, May 16, to advance to Sunday's Tuscaloosa Regional championship. In the process, the Crimson Tide also shut out plenty of pregame noise that had built throughout the week.
The matchup featured two top-10 Player of the Year finalists in the circle: Alabama’s Jocelyn Briski and Belmont’s Maya Johnson . Johnson entered the regional leading the NCAA with a 0. 66 ERA, 381 strikeouts and an 11.
91 strikeout-to-walk ratio. After the NCAA tournament bracket reveal Sunday, she told ESPN’s Holly Rowe that Belmont was "fully expecting" to win and noted that the Bruins "wouldn’t be the first mid-major to beat Alabama this year. " Johnson backed up the confidence with a complete game Saturday, striking out seven while allowing three runs on five hits and two walks.
But Briski was better. The Alabama ace took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and finished with seven strikeouts, one walk and one hit allowed. “Anybody who likes pitching, that was a good game,” Belmont coach Laura Matthews said.