The Alabama Crimson Tide secured a dominant 8-0 victory over the South Carolina Upstate Spartans in a five-inning contest Friday in the first game of the Tuscaloosa Regional in the NCAA softball tournament.

Alabama (49-7) did most of its damage in a six-run second inning that broke the game open. Marlie Giles ignited the offense with a solo home run to right center. Later in the inning, Kristen White delivered an RBI on an infield single, Brooke Wells followed with a two-run single to center, and Alexis Pupillo capped the rally with a two-run double to deep left field. Pupillo finished the day 2-for-3 with a team-high three RBIs.

Several other Crimson Tide players contributed on offense. Audrey Vandagriff went a perfect 2-for-2 with a solo home run in the third inning and a stolen base. White also finished 2-for-2 with an RBI and a stolen base. Pitcher Kaitlyn Pallozzi was masterful, tossing a complete-game shutout. She scattered four hits and two walks over five innings while striking out two batters.

South Carolina Upstate (36-22) struggled to generate offense against Pallozzi. The Spartans collected four singles from four different players: Taliyah Thomas, Ella Christopher, Abby Polk and Amie Johnson. Their best opportunity to score came in the top of the fourth inning when they placed runners on second and third with one out, but Pallozzi induced a strikeout and a fly out to end the threat. Starting pitcher Maddie Drerup worked four innings, allowing eight earned runs on 10 hits.

Up next: Regional play in the NCAA softball tournament continues Saturday.

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