Kaylee Tow led off the game with a home run

It was going to happen sometime, but after a pair of run-rule victories over Texas A&M in games Friday and Saturday, the Alabama Crimson Tide softball team didn’t expect its first loss of the year after 33 consecutive wins to come in College Station to the Aggies Sunday. But it did. Alabama had the lead from the first batter of the game through five innings and Bama ace freshman Montana Fouts on the mound, but A&M rallied with two runs to tie it in the sixth before a walk-off RBI single in the seventh handed the Crimson Tide its first loss of the season, 4-3.

Alabama (33-1, 5-1 SEC) took the first lead of the game after solo home runs from sophomore leadoff batter Kaylee Tow and junior Claire Jenkins in the opening half-inning before Texas A&M (18-13, 2-7 SEC) cut the lead in half with an RBI single in the third. Some heads-up base running from freshman Skylar Wallace in the top of the sixth brought the lead back to two runs but the Aggies took advantage of a well-placed RBI single in between three defenders and a fielding error to plate two runs and tie it at 3-3. Alabama loaded the bases in the top of the seventh but could not score, setting up Texas A&M for the walk-off RBI single in the bottom half.

The Tide’s 33-win streak heading into Sunday’s contest is the longest to start a season in program history and is tied for the third longest in NCAA history.

Fouts is now 12-1 this season after suffering the loss. She allowed a season high seven hits in her six-plus innings of work.

Next up, Alabama begins a five-game home stand Wednesday at 6 p.m. CDT against Georgia Tech.

Tow’s home run was part of a 2-for-3 day, extending her reached-base streak to 15 games. Jenkins’ home run gives her five over the Tide’s six SEC games.

Tow made the first hit of the game a big one, blasting a solo home run to lead off the game before Jenkins clubbed her homer three batters later for the 2-0 first inning lead.

With a runner at third and two out in the bottom of the third, Texas A&M cut the lead in half with an RBI single. A hit-by-pitch put two on base but Fouts bounced back with a called strikeout to end the inning and maintain the one-run lead.

Wallace took the count full and drew a walk to lead off the top of the fifth, advancing into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt. Tow lifted a fly ball to the warning track in right, allowing Wallace to tag up and move to third and she then broke for home after the Aggie second baseman looked away with the ball, sliding in to score and make it 3-1.

With the score the same in the bottom of the sixth, Texas A&M put a pair in scoring position with two out. An infield hit fell between three defenders, allowing a run to cross and a fielding error in the next at-bat brought the tying run home.

Junior Elissa Brown, Tow, and junior Bailey Hemphill all drew bases on balls in the top of the seventh, but Alabama was unable to scratch out a run.

Texas A&M drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the seventh and the Tide turned to its bullpen as junior Sarah Cornell stepped into the circle with the potential winning run at first and nobody out. A sacrifice bunt moved the runner into scoring position and the next batter was intentionally walked to set up the force out. A popup brought the Aggies down to their final out before junior Payton McBride dropped a single into left field, driving in the game-winning run.