TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – If you looked at the scoreboard following the Fairfield University softball team's first NCAA appearance, it may not have been the best of results for the Stags. But if you looked at the faces of Nicole Capra and Lauren Falkanger at the postgame press conference, you would understand that despite the score, it was an experience of a lifetime.

                Fifth-ranked University of Alabama scored in all but one inning to take an 8-0 win over Fairfield in NCAA Softball Tournament play.

                “It was an awesome experience,” Capra said. “We have watched Alabama on TV so to be here and play them was unbelievable for us.”

                “I was a little nervous when I first went out there,” Falkanger said. “But after a few batters I realized we still had to pitch and hit and field. We just had to play the game. That helped me settle in.”

The Stags kept the Crimson Tide off the board in the second inning after surrendering two runs in the bottom of the first inning. After getting the zero on the scoreboard,  Capra stepped into the batter's box and lined a base hit to right field for Fairfield's first hit. The Stags would not get beyond that base in the inning keeping it 2-0 heading into the bottom of the third inning.

                The long ball came into play for Alabama over the next few innings, beginning with Danae Hayes' two-run shot in the third inning. Leona Lafaele started the inning with a double, which Hayes followed with a home run that hit the left field scoreboard to make it 4-0.

                After going down in order in the fourth, Fairfield took the field for the bottom of the inning. Before things were too settled, Hayle McCleney drilled a leadoff homer off the scoreboard to push the advantage to 5-0. Starting pitcher Lauren Falkanger retired the next three hitters, including her first strikeout of the game.

                Alabama tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning using a walk by Hays, a triple from Chaunsey Bell, and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Kalie Case to bring the score to 7-0.

 Fairfield threatened briefly in the top of the sixth  and may have scored if not for a great catch. Gianna Kinhofer entered the game as a pinch hitter and lined a ball to right field. Jadyn Spencer made a full dive to get under the line drive and keep Kinhofer off the base paths.  Lauren Filicia was next to the plate and lined a ball into the left-center field gap that may have scored Kinhofer if she reached base. Filicia was left stranded at second  after a ground out ended the inning.

Alabama scored a two-out run in the bottom of the sixth inning that brought the eight-run rule into effect and ended the game at 8-0.

Falkanger went four innings and struck out one hitter while scattering 10 hits before yielding to Destinee Pallotto . The freshman right hander pitched one-plus innings and allowed five hits with a strikeout.

Fairfield will play the University of South Carolina-Upstate on Saturday at 2:30 pm ET. The entire slate of games for Friday was moved ahead two hours  due to predicted inclement weather.