They got the hard part out of the way early this time.
A day after winning in the bottom of the ninth, Alabama advanced to the NCAA softball super regional with a first-inning spark.
Marisa Runyon's double in the opening frame scored Chandler Dare from first to give Alabama the offense it needed to beat No. 1 Minnesota, 1-0. Sydney Littlejohn and Alexis Osorio did the rest, combining for a shutout.
The Tide (45-16) moves on to the Gainesville Super Regional to face No. 1 Florida. Alabama's advanced to the super regional round every year since it was introduced in 2005.
"To me, this is the most satisfying -- I don't know how many we've won -- but this is right up there at the top," said Alabama coach Patrick Murphy.
Minnesota finished the season 56-5. It had won 26 straight games before losing to Alabama on Saturday. That one came down to the bottom of the ninth before a bases loaded walk gave the Tide a 1-0 win.
Sydney Littlejohn pitched the first 5 1/3 innings of scoreless softball for Alabama She struck out four, walking one and allowing five total hits. Osorio finished things off, striking out the final two batters a day after throwing 180 pitches.
The game-winning run was scored on the third at-bat of the game. Considering how long it took to score Saturday, Murphy said they had to be aggressive on the base path.
"I didn't think we'd get many chances and that was a huge chance with a double in the gap," he said. "With one of the fastest girls on the team running, no doubt. If they make a play, they make a play."
Minnesota threatened in the fourth. Consecutive singles eventually left the Gophers with runners on second and third before McKenna Partain grounded out to first.
Then in the fifth, left fielder Rachel Bobo made a diving catch in foul territory to strand a runner.
"What y'all don't know is she does that in practice all the time," said Littlejohn. "As soon as I saw her out there in left field and I saw the ball go out there, I said that's an out. Nobody else knows it but this is about to be great."
It had runners on the corners with two outs in the sixth when shortstop Sydney Booker took a ground to second, ending the inning.
Now it's on to Gainesville for Alabama. It hasn't faced Florida all season and rarely has to travel for the super regional round.
"People say we have the hardest road to the Women's College World Series," Littlejohn said. "But how else would you want get there? We beat an amazing Minnesota program two times. Knowing we could do that, it gives us confidence going to Florida."
Dates and game times have not been set for the best-of-three series for the right to play in the Women's College World Series. Alabama's been to Oklahoma City the past three years after winning the national title in 2012.
For Minnesota, this was a sad end to one of the program's best seasons. Despite being ranked No. 1 in the final coaches poll, the Gophers didn't get one of the 16 national seeds to host a regional. It became a controversy that drew attention well outside the college softball universe.
A week of that discussion became mentally taxing on the team, coach Jessica Allister said.
"I think the unfortunate thing is our athletes didn't get a chance to play at their home," Allister said. "And it's unfortunate that people sitting in a room can make that decision. It's just said."