TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Sometimes in softball, close can be good enough.

Saturday afternoon, with his freshman ace pitcher struggling to get through Alabama’s NCAA regional game against Arizona State, Patrick Murphy went with one of his trademark gut moves, the kind that can change both a game and weekend.

Alabama had one run in and the bases loaded in the third inning when he brought in Caroline Hardy as a pinch-hitter with the game tied at four. Although the senior had been in a drought with just five hits since February 24, the coach was thinking possible grand slam.

He didn’t get it.

But the bases-clearing double off the upper part of the right-center field wall was pretty good, too, keying the 7-4 victory.

"That was cool," Hardy said about celebrating second base along with the sellout crowd at Rhoads Stadium. "We just needed that one big hit to break it open."

With the win, the No. 8 Crimson Tide (54-7) advanced to Sunday as the lone undefeated team in the regional. The survivor of the loser’s bracket will have to beat Alabama twice to advance to a super regional next weekend.

The win was Alabama’s 39th consecutive in an NCAA regional, dating back to 2007.

With freshman Montana Fouts (16-4) getting off to a slow start the Crimson Tide found itself in an early 2-0 hole due to a leadoff double to left by Morgan Howe and a home run to right-center by Kindra Hackbarth.

It was just the third home run given up by Fouts this season.

Alabama needed four batters to match the runs.

Junior center fielder Elissa Brown led off with a hard hit to third that resulted in an error, sophomore right fielder KB Sides singled her to third and went to second on the throw and sophomore Kaylee Tow hit one to center that was caught over the wall with Howe making the home run-saving snare.

However, Brown tagged up and scored and junior first baseman Bailey Hemphill subsequently singled in Sides by beating an infield shift with a single to where the second baseman normally plays.

"I was really proud that we bounced back, we had our pitcher's back today," Murphy said. "It's usually the other way around."

Aided by a pair of errors in the second, Arizona State (34-19) rallied for two more runs in the second, but senior catcher Reagan Dykes made a defensive gem for the third out when on a double-steal she blocked the plate and made the tag.

With it, Dykes passed Kendall Dawson for the all-time record at Alabama with 45 opponents caught stealing.

She subsequently led off with a solo home run down the left-field line to cut the deficit to 4-3.

"Awesome," Murphy said about Dykes' performance, including how she helped Fouts settle and find rhythm. "She just has a very good catching demeanor. She knows what to say, when to say it, she knows how to say it.

"Her empathy is off the charts with the pitchers. If she has to kick them in the butt she knows that, and if she needs to pat them on the back she knows that. She's one of the best catchers we've ever had."