Alabama softball star Montana Fouts exits game with injury, appears 'ok'

Alabama softball pitcher Montana Fouts exited Saturday’s NCAA Tournament game against Stanford after being hit in the face by a throw. The All-American was wearing a facemask which protected her from further damage, and according to multiple reports she appeared ‘ok’ despite exiting the game.

Catcher Ally Shipman attempted to throw out a Stanford runner attempting to steal second base, but an errant throw connected with Montana Fouts’ face and caused concern amongst players and fans. With the decision to remove their ace from the game, Alabama turned to relieve pitcher Alex Salter with a 5-0 deficit.

The Cardinal scored five runs on Fouts in her 5.2 innings, raising her season ERA to 2.61. The minor injury only further complicated the frustrating day, which featured just one strikeout on 101 pitches.

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In 170.1 innings entering Saturday, Montana Fouts had an ERA of 1.89 with 266 strikeouts and just 50 walks. In addition, she finished the season 23-6 with three saves while throwing 2,905 pitches.

She came to Alabama in 2019 as one of the most accomplished high school players in history, winning the Kentucky Gatorade Player of the Year three times and winning multiple national player of the year honors in 2018. Fouts then made an immediate impact as a freshman, becoming an All-American while also winning SEC Freshman of the Year.

In 2021, Fouts won many regular season and postseason awards while leading her team to the Women’s College World Series. Looking to return with hopes of adding a national championship to her list of accomplishments, she will hope for a quick turnaround and better outings to get out of the region and into the super regional round.

After Saturday’s loss, Alabama must now win all of its games the rest of the weekend in order to avoid elimination.