How Brooke Wells busted her lip and busted open Alabama softball win over UCLA
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OKLAHOMA CITY — Brooke Wells wasn't going to let anything keep her from her first Women's College World Series appearance.
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Not the shadow of a hitless super regional streak. Not a strikeout. Not even a busted lip.
On a foul out to Marlie Giles in the third inning, Giles mistakenly ran her shoulder into Wells' mouth. Wells paused with a busted lip, got a stitch in the middle of the infield, then returned right back to first base.
"Honestly, I think with all the adrenaline going through me, I really didn't feel much," Wells said.
Wells had a shaky streak of bad luck the past week. She went 0-for-8 against LSU in Alabama's super regional sweep. A busted lip would take some out of the game, physically and mentally.
Not Wells.
Three innings later, Wells exploded with a three-run homer to push Alabama softball to its final 6-3 win over UCLA.
"Knowing that the coaches have my back, the girls have my back, it was easy to come into today and be like it's a whole new start," Wells said. "It's the world series. This is what you dream of as you're a little kid. It's just a whole new day."
She's now two shy of the program single-season home run record of 26. Coach Patrick Murphy admitted that wasn't what he expected when the sophomore transferred in from Houston this season, but it was a welcomed surprise.
"We did not think it was going to be that much, though, to be honest with you," Murphy said. "We knew she was a good hitter, had a great swing. But her production has been just unreal for us."
Murphy came through for Wells after she was down from the LSU outings. He left her a card in her locker during Monday's Memorial Day practice, encouraging her to have a short-term memory.
"When I saw her, I said the sun came up, we're playing again and everything is right in the world. We're going to the world series. It's over and done with," Murphy said.
"Short-term memory, what's done is done. ... Brooke obviously did it today."
Amelia Hurley covers high school and college sports for The Tuscaloosa News and USA TODAY Network. You can find her on X at ameliahurley_ or reach her at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Brooke Wells busted her lip and busted Alabama softball win over UCLA open